- Published: 02.06.2009.
State Secretary Bianca Matković met in Ankara with State Secretary for European Affairs at Turkish MFA Zergün Korutürk, held political consultations
The collocutors described the relations between Croatia and Turkey as friendly and on the constant rise on all levels, in both the political, economic, and military sense
State Secretary Matković thanked State Secretary Korutürk for the cooperation and support Turkey has been offering Croatia on its way to NATO membership. Congratulating Croatia, State Secretary Korutürk expressed conviction that the two countries’ relations will now enhance even further, describing Croatia’s role as a new NATO member as important for the stability of South Eastern Europe.
The meeting also saw the exchange of information regarding the course of Croatia and Turkey’s EU membership negotiations.
The collocutors also discussed further enhancement of the two countries’ economic cooperation. State Secretary Matković, which headed the Croatian delegation at yesterday’s TUSKON ministerial meeting in Istanbul, expressed satisfaction with the Turkish businessmen’s interest in investing in Croatia and vice versa. Croatian entrepreneurs are interested in business cooperation primarily in energy, construction, tourism, and food industry. In that regard, support was expressed for the pending session on the Joint Croatian-Turkish Economic Cooperation Committee this fall in Turkey.
State Secretary Matković also met with State Minister and Chief EU Negotiator Egemen Bagiş, with whom she exchanged opinions about the accession process and organization of Croatia and Turkey’s negotiating teams.