Ankara and Zagreb will discuss bilateral issues as well as regional developments with a focus on the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine during an official visit by Croatia’s Foreign Minister Gordan Grlic Radman to Ankara.

Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and his Croatian counterpart are expected to focus on bilateral as well multilateral cooperation, the war in Ukraine, the Palestinian issue and developments in Syria along with other regional developments.

According to diplomatic sources, Fidan will underline the importance of Türkiye in ensuring stability in the Balkans and the partnership between the two countries within the framework of NATO and the European Union.

The Balkans is a priority for Türkiye not only for political, economic and geographical reasons but also for its historical, cultural and human ties with the region.

Türkiye recognized independent Croatia in 1991, very soon after it declared independence. The two countries established diplomatic ties the very next year.

Fidan visited Croatia twice last year, on the occasion of the Tripartite Consultative Mechanism Meeting of Foreign Ministers of Türkiye, Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina held in June 2024 and the Third Ukraine-Southeast Europe Summit held in October 2024.