Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic (R) receives visiting Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen in Zagreb, Croatia, on Sept. 10, 2018. Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen started his two-day official visit to Croatia on Monday. (Xinhua/Jurica Galoic)

Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic and her guest, Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen, agreed on Monday that the protection of the European Union's borders is in their two countries' mutual interest.

Van der Bellen is on a two-day official visit to Croatia.

According to the Austrian president, Austria is already in close cooperation with Croatia in preventing illegal immigration, and Croatia is very well protecting its borders.

Grabar-Kitarovic said that Croatia expects from Austria the support for entering the Schengen Area as soon as the technical part of the job is completed. It is Croatia's interest that the new enlargement of the EU includes the Balkans, but all candidate countries must meet the criteria.

The Austrian president noted that the membership of the Southeast European countries in the EU is of the interest of the entire area and the entire Union, and a prerequisite for peace and stability of that area.

He expressed the desire to further develop economic relations with Croatia.