State Secretary Bianca Matković held political consultations with State Secretary for European Affairs at Turkish MFA Zergün Korutürk

The two collocutors described the relations between Croatia and Turkey as friendly and on a constant rise, on the bilateral, multilateral, and regional level. State Secretary Matković thanked Turkey for the cooperation with and support for Croatia on its road to NATO membership. Information was exchanged about the course of the two countries’ EU negotiations. State Secretary Matković pointed out the last week’s European Commission’s Croatia Progress Report, expressing firm belief that Croatia would complete the technical part of the negotiations by end-2009.

State Secretary Korutürk congratulated Croatia on its achievements in the EU and NATO accession, adding that Turkey too will ratify the Protocol on NATO Enlargement to Croatia shortly.

The meeting discussed the further enhancement of economic cooperation. The Turkish delegation pointed out that that the Turkish businessmen are interested in investing in Croatia, especially in the finance sector and tourism. Emphasizing that Croatia is open to all foreign investors, State Secretary Matković noted shipbuilding as another possible investment area. The meeting also mentioned the possibility of organizing an economic forum, which would present to the interested entrepreneurs the potentials of national economies.

Discussing the state of affairs in South Eastern Europe, State Secretary Matković pointed out that Croatia is willing to, in the spirit of good-neighbourliness, assist the remaining countries on their way to the EU and NATO with its experience. State Secretary Korutürk described Croatia’s role as exceptionally important and encouraging for other countries, as well as for the stability of South Eastern Europe as a whole.