Friday, 20 June 2025
In a significant step toward strengthening bilateral ties, India and Croatia signed four key Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s official visit to Croatia — the first-ever by an Indian Prime Minister. The agreements aim to bolster collaboration in agriculture, science and technology, cultural exchange, and higher education.
The MoUs signed include an agreement on agricultural cooperation, a programme of cooperation in science and technology, a cultural exchange programme (CEP), and an MoU to establish a Hindi Chair at the University of Zagreb. These initiatives are expected to facilitate knowledge sharing, institutional partnerships, and people-to-people connections across both nations.
The visit, undertaken at the invitation of Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković, marked a milestone in the growing momentum of high-level exchanges between the two countries. The two leaders held wide-ranging discussions on advancing bilateral cooperation, enhancing India-EU strategic ties, and strengthening collaboration in multilateral forums.
Both sides acknowledged the long-standing friendly relations between India and Croatia, founded on shared values of democracy, rule of law, pluralism, and equality. They also emphasized the importance of improving connectivity through initiatives such as the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC), and agreed to expand cooperation in maritime sectors. Notably, they explored the potential for Croatia to serve as a Mediterranean gateway to Central Europe.
Prime Minister Modi’s visit infused fresh energy into the partnership, underlining the complementarities between the two economies in key sectors such as tourism, trade, and technology. The Ministry of External Affairs noted that this visit has opened a new chapter in the India-Croatia relationship, based on mutual respect, people-to-people ties, and shared strategic interests.
The Prime Minister expressed gratitude to the people and government of Croatia for the warm welcome and reaffirmed India’s commitment to deepening this multifaceted partnership.
PM Modi concluded his official engagements in Croatia as part of a broader three-nation visit that also included stops in Canada, where he attended the G7 Summit, and Cyprus.
