We are confident that Croatia must join the EU as soon as possible because it has met the criteria from the negotiations, the Estonian president said at the talks with the visiting Croatian president Ivo Josipovic, in Tallinn today.
Ilves said that Zagreb could continue counting on his country's support.
He added that Croatia, which he said had passed through the negotiation process well, should not be halted on that path by minor issues which were solvable.
We in Europe need Croatia as it is a key element for the stability of the EU, said the Estonian head of state.
Josipovic said that he had conducted interesting and fruitful talks with his Estonian host and thanked this Baltic country for its support to Croatia.
As for bilateral relations, Josipovic conveyed Zagreb's interest in strengthening bilateral cooperation and pointed out Estonia's impressive track record in ICT.
Ilves and Josipovic also discussed the cooperation of their countries within NATO.
Later in the day, Josipovic visited the NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence in the Estonian capital.