Sanader and his Irish counterpart Bertie Ahern, who strongly supported Croatia's drawing closer to the European Union, planted the Irish Strawberry Tree at the state residence on the occasion of National Tree Week, which Ireland has been holding for more than two decades in view of raising ecological awareness as well as afforestation, given that only 10 per cent of Irish land is covered in forests.
Before the planting ceremony, Ahern said he was pleased to be helped by a prime minister who was a personal friend but also a great friend of Ireland's. He once again voiced hope that Croatia would become a fully-fledged partner in the European Union very soon. Ahern and Sanader held talks yesterday.
Speaking of the importance of preserving the environment, Ahern commended Croatia's scenery, saying that many Irish had already visited and that many had yet to discover the country.
Covering Sanader's two-day visit, the Irish Times quoted him as saying today that membership negotiations could be wrapped up within three years so that Croatian candidates could run in the 2009 European parliamentary elections.
We are aware that this is a very ambitious goal but it would be great if we could achieve it, the newspaper quoted Sanader as saying.
The daily also quoted Ahern as saying that Croatia's accession and success would be a positive signal to the region.