"We Hungarians, especially the Hungarian Liberals, have always advocated Croatia's admission to the European Union. (...) We firmly believe that Croatia can prepare itself for EU entry by 2009 and we strongly support its accession to the EU as soon as possible, because that is in the interests of Croatia, the region and Europe," Koka said at a joint press conference with the president of the Croatian People's Party - the Liberal Democrats, Vesna Pusic.
Koka and Gabor Fodor, the Hungarian Minister of the Environment and Water Management and SZDSZ deputy chairman, who was also attending the press conference, were in Zagreb for a joint session of the governments of Croatia and Hungary.
"We took this opportunity to meet because our two parties maintain very good cooperation and we also cooperate at the European level, and all Hungarian parties, and the Liberals in particular, very actively support Croatia in its efforts to join the EU as soon as possible," Pusic said.
Pusic said they had discussed joint party projects and future cooperation and exchanged views on ways of promoting regional and cross-border cooperation. She recalled that several projects of common interest were already under way, including the construction of a motorway along Corridor 5C, which will connect Hungary, Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina.