Greece reassures support to Croatian for its EU accession

Greek President Karolos Papoulias reassured here on Tuesday the visiting Croatian President Stepjan Mesic the support from Greece to Croatia's course towards accession in the European Union.

"Strengthening the European prospect of the western Balkans is important for the future of the neighborhood. Greece backs Croatia's EU accession course," President of the Hellenic republic Papoulias stressed in a statements to the press after his meeting with Mesic at the Presidential Mansion.

Papoulias asked his counterpart whose term expires in two months for Croatia's support on the name issue between Greece and Macedonia, the Cyprus problem and the problems in Greece's relations with Turkey.

"Greek-Croatian relations are very good and we will continue the efforts to advance our cooperation on all levels. We support all countries wishes to become members of the EU, as long as they fulfil the criteria and we believe that no grey zones should remain in the wider region," Mesic replied.

Expressing his anxiety about the "re-emergence of certain politics that have pushed the Balkans into chaos during the 1990s"in a reference of nationalistic movements that have led to wars, Croatia's president asked the international community "to watch more carefully this time what is happening in this area of the world and react on time".

Mesic discussed bilateral and regional issues during his meeting with Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou later on Tuesday afternoon.

Source: Xinhua