Croatia president points to EU lack of interest in Balkans

Western Balkans leaders take part in the Brdo-Brijuni Process Leaders' Meeting in Tirana, Albania on Thursday, May 9, 2019. The Brdo-Brijuni Process is an initiative created by Croatia and Slovenia in 2013 to push forward the regional accession into EU. (AP Photo/Hektor Pustina)

From left to right, Milorad Dodik, Bosnian Serb member of Bosnia's tripartite presidency, Montenegro President Milo Djukanovic, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, Slovenian President Borut Pahor, Poland's President Andrzej Duda, Albania's President Ilir Meta, European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini, Croatia's President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic, President of Kosovo Hashim Thaci and the Bosnia and Herzegovina's tripartite Presidency member, Sefik Dzaferovic pose for a group photo during the Brdo-Brijuni Process Leaders' Meeting in Tirana, Albania, on Thursday, May 9, 2019. The Brdo-Brijuni Process is an initiative created by Croatia and Slovenia in 2013 to push forward the regional accession into EU. (AP Photo/ Hektor Pustina)

TIRANA, Albania – Croatia's president has criticized the EU for not taking enough of an interest in what is going on in the Balkans.

Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic, whose country is a member of the EU, bemoaned "a lack of understanding of the situation in southeast Europe" and also a "lack of interest."

Other countries in the region, such as Albania and Serbia, are trying to join the bloc but progress has been slow, largely because historical issues partly connected to the wars of the 1990s still need to be solved.

Leaders of Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, Serbia met Thursday with Balkan EU members Croatia and Slovenia as well as invitee Poland in the Albanian capital of Tirana to discuss how to cooperate more.

The EU's foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini was also present.