Addressing them, Josipovic said that he was glad that the Croatian community in Germany was very much respected and that Croats were regarded as hard-working and honest people.

Underlining the role of the Croatian diaspora in Germany in building ties between the two countries, Josipovic called for enhancing the cooperation between the expatriate community and the homeland.

Before meeting representatives of Croatians living in Germany, Josipovic held a lecture on the policy of reconciliation and Croatia's EU accession, organised by the Robert Bosch Foundation and the German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP), in which he once again underlined Croatia's efforts to help create a prospect of EU membership for all other countries in the region.

He also said that there was no alternative to the process of reconciliation in the region.

Answering a question from the audience about how serious the fight against corruption in Croatia was, Josipovic said that it was serious and that it covered all social strata.

"There has been a change of awareness in Croatia and anyone who would try to oppose that process would be wiped away from the political scene," Josipovic said.

The Croatian president ends his three-day visit to Germany on Friday.