Croatia: Turkey's membership is vital for EU

Croatian President Ivo Josipovic, whose country started membership talks with the EU about the same time as Turkey but which completed its accession talks in June of this year, has said the EU shouldn't put up new obstacles and conditions with regard to Turkish membership, in an exclusive interview with Today's Zaman.

Josipovic said he was aware of the uneasiness felt by Turkey over Croatia's early accession, but said his country had also been subject to some unfair practices. “We as Croatia know that some countries that joined the EU earlier did not have to answer some of the questions that we had to answer.” He noted that, however, Turkey and Croatia also have vast differences. “Turkey is a big country. It is a big country both in terms of population and other aspects, so the EU is acting with caution.”

The Croatian president said he agreed with the increasingly held view that the EU has stronger reasons to accept Turkey's membership than in 2005. “Eight percent growth shows how strong the Turkish economy is. I believe that Turkey will make important contributions both to its region and to the EU given its influence and potential in the region and also the activities of EU citizens of Turkish origin.” He said his country was a supporter of Turkey’s EU membership, as long as it meets the bloc’s membership criteria. “But there should be no new conditions requested from Turkey in this process,” he said.