"I honestly hope the problem with Croatia will be solved very soon and that negotiations will start. Personally, I believe the negotiations will start soon. In any case, this should occur before they start with Turkey," Busek was quoted as saying in an interview.
He feels the Croatian government has done a lot and is trying very hard to improve cooperation both with the UN war crimes tribunal in The Hague and with European partners in a bid to assure them of its credibility.
"It is very important that reforms are being carried out properly, and I feel that Croatia is more developed than Romania and Bulgaria in many ways. In any case, I think Croatia is ready for the European Union," Busek said, adding Croatia was also a very good model for the entire region.
"Croatia was and remains part of Europe and the last obstacle has to be removed in order to lift the current blockade so the negotiations can start," he said, referring to the arrest of fugitive general Ante Gotovina, who is wanted by the Hague tribunal.