We Americans are tremendously impressed with Croatia's progress over the past few years. We are strongly supportive of Croatia becoming a full member of the trans-Atlantic community, Cheney said.
We also deeply appreciate Croatia's current involvement in Afghanistan, in a very difficult situation in that part of the world, he added.
The US Vice-President described his meeting with Prime Minister Ivo Sanader as very important for the development of relations between the United States and Croatia.
Sanader said that his government saw Cheney's visit as a sign of "friendship and support to Croatia" and as "a great step forward in bilateral relations."
"We look forward to closely cooperating with the United States in the future. Croatia is preparing for full membership in the EU and NATO and knows that it can count on US support," Sanader said.
The Croatian Prime Minister said he strongly supported a trans-Atlantic partnership between the US and Europe.