Croatia's President noms pharmaceutical executive as next PMDecember 24, 2015 - 10:32 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Croatia's president on Wednesday, December 23 designated pharmaceutical executive Tihomir Oreskovic to become prime minister, nominating a technocrat put forward by conservatives and reformists after weeks of talks following an inconclusive Nov. 8 election, according to Reuters. The European Union's newest member state needs stable government quickly as it is under pressure from Brussels to decisively tackle fiscal woes and high public debt as well as pave the way for more investment notably in the private sector. "He (Oreskovic) convinced me that he has support of 78 parliamentary deputies," President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic said. Parliament has 151 seats. Oreskovic, 49, a pharmaceutical expert working as a senior manager in Israel-based Teva Pharmaceuticals, now has 30 days to win approval for his cabinet in the parliament. The conservative HDZ and the reformist "Most" (Croatian for "bridge") party struck a deal on Wednesday after six weeks of talks on potential coalitions, which also included the outgoing government's Social Democrats.. Most, made up of municipal politicians and independents, insisted on a technocrat prime minister as a guarantor of reformist intentions on fiscal management and the economy. Croatia, once part of old socialist federal Yugoslavia, is under EU pressure to overhaul its costly and inefficient public sector and liberalize its economy to spur investment and tame high public debt, now close to 90 percent of GDP. A failure to do so would expose Croatia to a downgrade in its credit rating, which is now at the highest speculative grade with a negative outlook. This year Croatia will post its first year of growth, seen at around 1.5 percent, after six consecutive recession years. Top stories Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev arrived in Moscow on April 22 to hold talks with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". Partner news | Armenia, Turkey discuss restoration of historic bridge The meeting took place on May 17 in Ashgabat on the sidelines of an international conference of ministers of culture. India wants Armenia’s proposals on use of Chabahar port India is expecting proposals from Armenia regarding the use of Chabahar port in Iran, Indian ambassador says. EU welcomes Armenia-Azerbaijan “progress” The EU has welcomed “progress” made in the framework of the Armenia-Azerbaijan border delimitation process. Belarus opposition leader slams Lukashenko for Karabakh trip Belarusian opposition politician Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya has harshly criticized the visit of Lukashenko to Karabakh. |