Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s historic visit to Croatia on June 18, 2025, was a watershed moment in India-Croatia ties, as it was the first visit by an Indian Prime Minister to the Central European country.
During his day-long visit to Zagreb, PM Modi conducted extensive delegation-level meetings with his Croatian counterpart, Andrej Plenkovic, focused on strengthening and expanding bilateral cooperation across many industries.
The two presidents discussed and identified critical areas of cooperation, including as commerce and investment, science and technology, defense and security, space exploration, cultural exchanges, and people-to-people ties. Both sides saw significant opportunities for collaboration in infrastructure, ports and shipping, digitalisation, artificial intelligence, renewable energy, medicines, tourism, and hospitality.
The discussions indicated a shared commitment to strengthening supply chains and deepening economic cooperation, with a focus on completing the India-EU Free Trade Agreement as soon as possible to achieve these goals.
The visit resulted in the signing of four Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) covering collaboration in agriculture and associated areas, research and technology, a cultural exchange program, and the extension of the University of Zagreb’s Hindi Chair. These agreements are designed to promote collaborative research, information sharing, and increased linguistic and educational outreach, thereby boosting the cultural and academic ties between the two countries.
Cultural diplomacy was significant, with PM Modi emphasizing the growing popularity of Indian culture, Indology, and Yoga in Croatia. He sent wishes to yoga fans ahead of International Yoga Day, emphasizing the significance of human-to-human connections as the cornerstone of mutual goodwill. The extension of the Hindi Chair at the University of Zagreb until 2030, as well as the launch of a new five-year cultural exchange program, were highlighted as significant milestones forward.
Another topic of discussion was defence collaboration, with both leaders agreeing to develop a long-term Defence collaboration Plan. This strategy will include joint training, military exchanges, and industry-level relationships, in addition to the existing defense memorandum of understanding signed two years ago. The leaders also pledged to strengthen innovation and entrepreneurship through the India-Croatia Startup Bridge Initiative, particularly in the fields of artificial intelligence, green technology, and robotics.
On the geopolitical front, PM Modi and PM Plenkovic spoke about regional and global developments, reaffirming their commitment to peaceful dispute resolution via dialogue and diplomacy. PM Modi thanked Croatia for its support during the terrorist attacks in Pahalgam and condemned terrorism as a menace to humanity.
Both leaders reaffirmed their shared values of democracy, pluralism, and the rule of law, and pledged to collaborate to maximize the potential of the India-Croatia collaboration within the larger context of the India-EU Strategic collaboration.
PM Modi’s visit was marked by cordial gestures, including a ceremonial welcome and personal greeting from PM Plenkovic at the airport. The visit closed with a joint statement emphasizing the historic importance of the occasion and the determination to accelerate bilateral ties, ushering in a new era in India-Croatia relations.
