I would like to give credit to and congratulate Prime Minister Ivo Sander and the Croatian people. You have undoubtedly made great progress, Ahern told a news conference after his meeting with Sanader.
Ahern voiced hope that Croatia would join the European bloc soon.
"Ireland is a friendly country which has profited very much from the admission to the EU, and Croatia wants to follow its example," said Sanader, who arrived in Dublin on Thursday for a two-day official visit.
Several Irish consultants are assisting the Croatian government in the EU accession negotiations and Dublin has promised to continue supporting Zagreb on the road towards the Union.
In order to improve economic relations between the two countries, Sanader proposed establishing a direct airline service between Zagreb and Dublin.
Earlier in the day, Sanader gave a talk at the European National Forum, a debate club in the Irish capital.