Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent visit to Croatia represented a watershed moment in India-Croatia ties, as it was the first visit by an Indian Prime Minister to the country. During his visit to Zagreb, PM Modi was greeted warmly by his Croatian counterpart, Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic, and given a ceremonial welcome in the ancient city center.
The two presidents held extensive bilateral conversations on a wide range of issues, with the common goal of deepening the India-Croatia alliance.
The conversations covered important topics such as defense and security, pharmaceuticals, agribusiness, information technology, renewable energy, and technology. Both parties agreed to develop a Defence Cooperation Plan for long-term partnership, with a focus on training, military exchanges, and the defense sector. The discussions also recognized synergies in semiconductors, shipbuilding, communications, and other industries as mutually beneficial areas of collaboration.
PM Modi highlighted his ambition to accelerate bilateral relations during his third term, seeking to quadruple the rate of engagement. He emphasized the opportunity for Croatian enterprises to engage in India’s port modernization, coastal zone development, and multi-modal connectivity projects through the Sagarmala plan. The leaders agreed to increase bilateral commerce and build a dependable supply chain, particularly in pharmaceuticals, agriculture, clean technology, digital technology, and renewable energy.
Academic cooperation was also emphasized, with both countries pledging to encourage cooperative research and collaboration among respective institutions. India would share its space industry knowledge with Croatia, strengthening scientific collaborations.
In addition, the Memorandum of Understanding for the Hindi Chair at Zagreb University has been extended until 2030, and a new cultural exchange program has been planned for the next five years. A mobility agreement is also being concluded to ease the movement of people between the two countries.
Prime Minister Modi thanked the Croatian government and people for their kindness and friendliness. He emphasized the shared ideals of democracy, rule of law, pluralism, and excellence that underpin the partnership, as well as the unusual coincidence of both leaders serving third successive terms.
The visit ended with a reaffirmation of the commitment to develop cultural and people-to-people connections, setting the framework for a strong and multifaceted India-Croatia collaboration in the coming years.
