Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan departed Ankara's Esenboğa Airport in June 2006 for an official visit to Croatia and Macedonia, citing strong political ties with both countries and a desire to deepen economic cooperation.
Before boarding his flight, Erdoğan noted that Türkiye and Croatia share a common experience of vulnerability to Balkan instability. He also pointed out that both nations launched EU accession negotiations simultaneously, opening the door for mutual consultation on that process.
In Zagreb, Erdoğan was scheduled to attend a Joint Economic Commission meeting, a bilateral business council session, and the signing of a JEC protocol along with a social security agreement. He planned to hold separate meetings with Croatian President Stjepan Mesic and Parliament Speaker Vladimir Seks.
Erdoğan was then set to travel to Macedonia at the invitation of Prime Minister Vlado Buckovski, with a meeting also planned with President Branko Crvenkovski. He called Macedonia "an important country for regional peace and stability."
A Macedonian-Turkish Business Council meeting was also on the agenda, where Erdoğan planned to address entrepreneurs from both countries. A large delegation of Turkish businesspeople accompanied him on the trip.
Historical summary. TurkishPress restated this wire report, first published in June 2006, in its own words.