Croatian President Ivo Josipovic met in Berlin on Thursday with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who expressed full support for Croatia's joining the European Union as soon as possible.
Addressing reporters, Josipovic expressed satisfaction with the talks.
"It was stated that Croatia was making good progress on the road to the EU, but also that we must meet the set benchmarks. We are aware of this, and the support given by Germany and the Chancellor mean a lot to us," Josipovic said after meeting Merkel.
He said that they did not discuss a possible date for Croatia's accession, adding that this was only up to Croatia.
"We know that once we meet the set conditions, our membership will become unquestionable. Had we met them earlier, membership would have come earlier," he said.
Josipovic said that relations in Southeast Europe were among the most important topics of the talks.
"Germany is interested in the region, not only because it believes that the entire Southeast Europe is part of Europe, but because Germany invests and wants to invest in those countries, and its soldiers are deployed in Bosnia and Herzegovina and in Kosovo," Josipovic said.
He underlined that he received Merkel's full support for Croatia's regional policy.
The German Chancellor's office said in a statement that Chancellor Merkel welcomed Croatia's efforts to join the EU as soon as possible and that Germany was willing to help Croatia implement reforms in the current, decisive stage of the talks.
Germany is confident that Croatia's membership of the EU will be a benefit, notably with regard to the establishment of a lasting peace in the region, the statement said.
In that context, Merkel and Josipovic expressed interest in Bosnia and Herzegovina forming a government as soon as possible, hopeful that constitutional reforms would be implemented soon to facilitate the country's progress towards the EU.
Chancellor Merkel particularly welcomed Croatia's efforts aimed at reconciliation among the countries in the region.
President Josipovic is on a three-day official visit to Germany during which he has also met Parliament Speaker Norbert Lammert and President Christian Wulff.
Also today he was expected to hold a lecture on the policy of reconciliation and Croatia's EU membership and meet representatives of Croatian expatriates' associations in Berlin.
He will end his visit on Friday, by visiting Frankfurt and Mainz, where he will attend a German-Croatian business forum and meet representatives of Croatians living in Germany.
