Grabar Kitarovic and Lehtomaki, who is at the helm of a delegation of business people, discussed bilateral relations, the strengthening of economic cooperation and European integration processes.
The two ministers agreed that bilateral relations were very good and that the two countries had no open issues but stressed that economic cooperation needed to be intensified.
Grabar Kitarovic told reporters after the talks that Croatia planned to intensify its economic relations with Finland.
Finland also advocates the broadening and strengthening of economic cooperation, the Finnish minister said.
Commenting on European integration processes, Grabar-Kitarovic thanked Finland on its support to Croatia in achieving the candidate status and in the process of implementing structural reforms and meeting criteria for membership.
She expressed satisfaction with the fact that Finland would participate in the reform of Croatia's judiciary and the establishment of a stronger sanitary inspection system through twinning projects, namely CARDS.
Grabar-Kitarovic said she informed the Finnish minister of the implementation of measures for cooperation with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia and asked of Finland to support the opening of Croatia's EU entry talks as soon as possible.
Minister Lehtomaki told reported Finland welcomed Croatia in the European family. She stressed it was important for Croatia to meet the last, but very important condition as soon as possible so that the negotiations could start.
Asked to comment on the ICTY Prosecution's proposal to amend the indictment against Croatian generals Mladen Markac and Ivan Cermak in the context of the opening of negotiations with the EU and a harsh reaction of the Croatian public to the amended indictment, Grabar-Kitarovic said that the assessment of Croatia's cooperation with the ICTY and the implementation of measures aimed at proving that Croatia is fully cooperating with the tribunal would most definitely have an effect on the start of negotiations.
"Croatia is entitled to its own opinion. Croatia will use all legal mechanisms at its disposal. Our opinion remains unchanged - we are entirely ready and determined to fully cooperate with the Hague tribunal," the Grabar-Kitarovic said.
Lehtomaki said that the main criterion for the opening of talks was full cooperation with the UN war crimes tribunal. She said that ICTY Chief Prosecutor Carla del Ponte would most definitely play an important role in the assessment of Croatia's cooperation, but stressed that the final decision would be made by the EU Council which will asses whether or not the last criterion had been met.
She stressed that the Croatian government had a comprehensive action plan and added that at this moment the Croatia government must make great efforts so as to solve this problem. "Let us hope that this would be solved in an efficient way and as soon as possible," the Finnish minister said.