SOFIA STRONGLY BACKS ZAGREB'S EURO-ATLANTIC AMBITIONS - MINISTER

SOFIA, June 25 (Hina) - Bulgaria strongly supports all of Croatia's Euro-Atlantic ambitions and is willing to support it with its experience, Croatian Foreign Minister Tonino Picula said in Sofia on Wednesday after talks with Bulgaria's top officials. #L# During his one-day trip to Sofia, Picula met Foreign Minister Solomon Passy and was also received by President Georgi Parvanov and Prime Minister Simeon Saxe-Coburg. "The visit confirmed the strong feeling of partnership between Zagreb and Sofia, which share identical foreign policy goals -- joining the EU and NATO -- but also a certain closeness given the problems they are facing," Picula told reporters. (hina) ha sb