Davutoglu: "Turkish-Croatian cooperation is the backbone of stability in the Balkans"

Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu paid an official visit to Croatia over the weekend, which resulted in a joint decision by Turkey and Croatia to intensify contacts to draft and implement common policies regarding Bosnia and Herzegovina, which is plagued by simmering tensions over governance and power-sharing issues. Speaking at a joint press conference with his Croatian counterpart Gordan Jandrokovic after their meeting in Zagreb, Davutoglu said Turkey places great importance on the integration of countries of the region with NATO and European bodies. He said the two countries decided to work together to protect Bosnia-Herzegovina's stability and territorial integrity. "Our ministries will constantly be in touch, and work together for Bosnia-Herzegovina to take the place it deserves in the international community," said Davutoglu. He said bilateral relations, regional issues, and relations with the European Union, NATO and the UN were discussed in his meetings with Croatian officials. For his part, Jandrokovic said countries extending support to Bosnia-Herzegovina should also respect its territorial integrity, and support its EU and NATO membership bids. He said they agreed to boost the current trade volume of $450 million to $1 billion. Later Davutoglu attended a dinner hosted in his honor by Jandrokovic. Before leaving Zagreb, Davutoglu, along with his wife Sare, visited the Zagreb Mosque, where they learned about the historic building and Zagreb's Muslim community. Davutoglu also visited Dubrovnik and later proceeded to Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina to attend the Ministerial Meeting on the Alliance of Civilizations Southeast Europe Strategy.