Croatia

ZAGREB, Sept. 4 (Xinhua) -- Croatian President Zoran Milanovic said here on Monday that his country has been supporting Montenegro's entry into the European Union (EU) for years and will continue to do so.

"As much as we can help, we will help," Milanovic said at a joint press conference with his visiting Montenegrin counterpart, Jakov Milatovic, who arrived in the capital of Croatia on Monday for a two-day official visit.

Milatovic said that he appreciated Croatia's support and that Montenegro's EU membership would be a "positive signal" to the rest of the region.

ZAGREB, June 21 (NNN-XINHUA) — A Hungarian military helicopter crashed in the Cikola Canyon in southern Croatia on Wednesday, killing two crew members and leaving another one missing, the Croatian Ministry of Defense said in a statement.

The search for the third person is still ongoing, according to the ministry.

Two Hungarian Air Force’s Airbus H145 helicopters were on a training flight when one of them crashed, the Defense Ministry said.

ZAGREB, March 26 (Xinhua) -- The second Summit for Democracy, hosted by the United States, is aiming not for democracy but confrontation with countries like Russia as its opponent and China as its competitor, said Davor Gjenero, a Croatian political analyst.

Through the so-called Summit for Democracy, set for March 29-30, the United States, according to its "American democracy" standard, attempts to divide the world into "democratic" and "non-democratic" countries.

ZAGREB, Jan. 15 (Xinhua) -- Kuna, the official currency of Croatia since 1994, ceased circulation on Sunday as euro became the sole legal tender in the country.

Croatia joined the eurozone on the New Year's Day and in order to help residents adapt to the use of euro, the government introduced a two-week period of dual circulation of both currencies from Jan. 1 to midnight of Jan. 14 when kuna ceased circulation.

ZAGREB, Jan. 6 (Xinhua) -- Further improving ties between Croatia and Serbia is a primary interest of both countries, visiting Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic said after meeting Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic here on Friday.

"My presence here represents a strong message about the need to talk and redefine the current relations between Belgrade and Zagreb. We do not think alike on many issues, but we must talk and come to an agreement," Dacic said, adding that he visited Zagreb at the initiative of Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic.

BREGANA BORDER CROSSING, Croatia, Jan 1 (Reuters) - Croatia rang in two historic changes with the new year, as the European Union's youngest member joined both the EU's border-free Schengen zone and the euro common currency, fulfilling longstanding ambitions of close integration with Europe.

At the Bregana border crossing with neighbouring Slovenia, police took down signs at midnight and a barrier was lifted up for the last time, before a placard reading "free passage" was installed, symbolising the end of border checks.

ZAGREB, Jan. 1 (Xinhua) -- Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, visited Croatia on New Year's day to mark the country's entry into the eurozone and the border-free Schengen area.

Various activities were held at border crossings with Slovenia and Hungary on early Sunday morning to celebrate the historic moment.

ZAGREB, Croatia (AP) — At the stroke of midnight on Saturday, Croatia switched to the shared European currency, the euro, and removed dozens of border checkpoints to join the world’s largest passport-free travel area.

It marked a fresh start for the small Balkan nation of 4 million people that captured international attention three decades ago as the site of a brutal war that left nearly a quarter of its economy in ruins.

ZAGREB, Sept. 10 (Xinhua) -- Three people were killed and 11 injured in a collision between a passenger train and a freight train at around 9:30 p.m. (1930 GMT) on Friday in central Croatia, authorities said on Saturday.

The injured were immediately hospitalized, local N1 media reported, adding that the passenger train passed a stop sign in the village of Rajici, which resulted in the collision.

ZAGREB, Aug. 6 (Xinhua) -- Twelve people were killed and at least 30 were injured in a traffic accident when a bus with a Polish licence plate skidded off a highway in northern Croatia, according to the authorities.

The accident happened at around 5:40 a.m. local time when the bus veered off the A4 highway in the direction of the country's capital Zagreb.