Shri Randhir Jaiswal, Official Spokesperson: Welcome everyone to this Special Briefing on the ongoing visit of the Prime Minister. We are also joined on the stage by Smt. Pooja Kapoor, who is Additional Secretary looking after Central Europe in the Ministry of External Affairs. With that I invite Secretary (West) to make his opening remarks after which he will take some questions. Sir, over to you.
Shri Tanmaya Lal, Secretary West: Namaskar, as you are aware, Prime Minister is completing his visit to Cyprus, Canada, and Croatia. And as was just mentioned, this has been an historic visit to Croatia by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi. This was, in fact, this has been the first ever visit to Croatia by an Indian Prime Minister. Prime Minister Modi arrived in Zagreb earlier today on this official visit at the invitation of the Prime Minister of Croatia, His Excellency Andrej Plenković.
The visit reflects the growing momentum in India-Croatia partnership. It also has importance in the context of the EU strategic partnership, and it shows India's growing ties with partners in Central and Eastern Europe. I would also briefly mention the elements of the program.
Upon arrival, Prime Minister was received at the airport in a very special warm gesture by Prime Minister His Excellency Plenković. The two Prime Ministers held delegation-level talks. This was followed by signing of agreements. Prime Minister Plenković will host a Gala dinner in honor of Prime Minister Modi. The two leaders also took a walk together in the historic city centre of Zagreb. As we speak, Prime Minister Modi is also meeting and holding discussions with the President of Croatia, His Excellency Zoran Milanović. Earlier, Prime Minister was accorded a ceremonial reception at the St. Mark's Square in Zagreb, where he also signed the Book of Impressions. Prime Minister laid wreath at the monument to homeland.
During the visit, External Affairs Minister Dr. Jaishankar also had discussions with his counterpart, Minister of Foreign Affairs, His Excellency Mr. Gordan Radman, over a working lunch. Earlier, upon arrival at the hotel, Prime Minister Modi received a special welcome that reflected the cultural and people-to-people ties between our countries. This included chanting of Sanskrit shlokas by Croatian friends, also a short Kathak performance by Croatian artists, a group of Croatian friends of India, and groups of Croatian students who are studying Hindi language at the Department of Indology at the University of Zagreb. And another group of students from Zagreb also welcomed the Prime Minister. Around 200 members of the Indian diaspora also welcomed Prime Minister on this landmark visit to Croatia.
The two leaders during the delegation-level talks and other occasions have discussed a very broad range of issues. As you are aware, the visit takes place against the backdrop of serious global challenges and flux. The leaders discussed regional and global issues, including ongoing conflicts and other major developments.
Cooperation in counter-terrorism was a prominent theme of discussions. Prime Minister Modi thanked Prime Minister Plenković for Croatia's support and solidarity in the wake of the terror attacks in Pahalgam.
The two leaders agreed that there is a huge potential to expand trade, investment, and innovation linkages. Some of the areas where there are business linkages include IT, Pharmaceuticals, equipment for wind and solar power generation, railway signaling, arms and unmanned vehicles, ports and shipping, tourism and hospitality. A number of new areas of investment, trade and technology collaboration are also being explored. The leaders agreed to strengthen the India-Croatia Startup Bridge Initiative.
The leaders also agreed to explore increased collaboration in defense, building upon the MOU that was signed two years ago. The two leaders then welcomed the signing of four documents. These are: MOU on cooperation in agriculture and allied sectors; a program of cooperation in science and technology; a cultural exchange program; and an MOU on Hindi chair at University of Zagreb. The leaders in the discussions also look forward to an early conclusion of the India-EU FTA, which will give a boost to the bilateral trade and supply chain resilience.
Another topic of discussion was increasing connectivity, including through the IMEC Corridor Initiative. The leaders agreed on the importance of concluding a mobility partnership agreement. There are an estimated 17,000 strong Indian diaspora in Croatia. A large number are working in various sectors such as tourism, hospitality, healthcare, and construction. A Joint Leaders Statement is also being issued.
Croatia, as you would know, is the youngest member of the European Union. It has also recently joined the Eurozone and the Schengen Arrangement. The visit of Prime Minister Modi comes soon after the unprecedented first-ever visit of the College of Commissioners to India in February. You would recall that the European Commissioner for the Mediterranean, Ms. Dubravka šuica, who is from Croatia, was also a member of the delegation.
Prime Minister Modi's visit gives a boost to the growing high-level exchanges between the two countries in recent years. Prime Minister Modi and Prime Minister Plenković had earlier met during the COP26 in Glasgow. President of India, Shri Ram Nath Kovind, at the time, had visited Croatia in 2019. External Affairs Minister Dr. Jaishankar and Foreign Minister Radman have earlier met in 2023 and 2021. Last year, the Foreign Office Consultation 11th round was held. Commerce Secretary of India had recently visited Croatia, where he had held extensive discussions on expanding business and investment ties. There is growing economic content in our bilateral engagement.
To sum up, Prime Minister Modi's historic visit to Croatia, the first ever by an Indian Prime Minister to Croatia, will act as a catalyst to the expansion of India-Croatia partnership and further strengthen India-EU strategic partnership.
Thank you.
Shri Randhir Jaiswal, Official Spokesperson: We now open the floor for questions. Please do identify yourself as you ask your question.
Rajneesh Yadav, ANI: Sir, I am Rajneesh from ANI. My two questions are here. What is the significance of this visit of PM in Croatia?
As well as the second question is, how can Croatia as an EU member serve as a strategic partner for India in expanding its engagement with European Union?
Jessica Taneja, DD India: Hi, sir. This is Jessica Taneja for DD India. You said that counter-terrorism was also part of the discussion and this is post-Operation Sindoor. And given the cross-border terrorism from Pakistan, what was discussed between the two leaders specifically on that? And also, about the defense exploration and the defense collaboration, what can you tell us about that as well?
Shailendra Mishra, DD News: Sir, main Shailendra Mishra hoon DD News se. Jo 4 MoU hue hain agar inko thoda sa vistar se bata paye chuki agriculture, Hindi chair or cultural cooperation mein.
[Approximate Translation: Question in Hindi: Sir, I am Shailendra Mishra from DD News. If you could elaborate a bit on the four MoUs that were signed — particularly those related to agriculture, the Hindi Chair, and cultural cooperation.]
Shri Tanmaya Lal, Secretary West: Thank you. The first question regarding the significance of the visit. So, as I mentioned, this has been the first ever visit by an Indian Prime Minister to Croatia. That in itself is a landmark, very historic, and it shows the growing engagement between India and the partners in the Central European region.
This also, as I also mentioned, has relevance in the India-EU strategic partnership context. Croatia is the youngest member who has joined the European Union. And Croatia is an important partner in pushing a stronger India-EU strategic partnership, and also for an early conclusion of the India-EU FTA.
So, in addition to the aspects of collaboration that I mentioned during my initial remarks, these are some of the highlights that contribute to the significance of this visit. Croatia, of course, is a country on the eastern coast of the Adriatic Sea, and it has an important location in the Central and Eastern Europe.
So, a whole range of issues, and ways to further increase our trade, investment, technology, connectivity, defense, all these sectors were covered. And some of the MOUs that were signed also reflect the areas of cooperation that both countries are looking at, for example, ranging from science and technology to agriculture and allied sectors.
On counter-terrorism, there was strong support expressed on countering terrorism through whichever means. There is a strong message also conveyed in the Joint Leaders Statement that you will be able to see. And Prime Minister Modi expressed his appreciation for the support that was extended by the Croatian leadership in the wake of the heinous attack … terror attack in Pahalgam.
On defense, there has been an MOU which was signed a couple of years ago, and the two leaders discussed various ways to extend this cooperation in terms of industrial collaboration, joint ventures and other sectors where we can work together with each other, especially in the defense field.
On the documents that were exchanged today, --
Toh jo aaj dastavej exchange kiye gaye usme se pehla tha ek MoU on cooperation in krishi ke kshetra mein aur allied sectors mein. Croatia mein unme kafi interest hai Bharat ke sath is vishay mein cooperation badhane ka. Inke krishi kshetra ke jo mantri the wo bhi vaha upastith the aur unhone bhi apne vartalap mein iska kafi zikr kiya ki wo isme kafi ieechuk Bharat ke sath krishi kshetra mein cooperation badhane ke liye. Delegations ho sakta hai exchange hongi aur isme aur concrete steps uthaye jayenge.
Dusra jo tha document wo ek program of cooperation hai science and technology mein. Usme bhi alag alag vishay se alag alag tarike se isme collaboration badhaya jayega. Research institutions ke beech joint calls for research vagaira ke madhyam se isme cooperation badhaya jayega.
Cultural exchange program bhi ek sign hua. Usme alag alag jo kshetra hain cultural exchange ke usme focus kiya jayega. Aur university of Zagreb jisme ki ek Indology department kareeb 60 varsh se hai aur yahan par Indology ka kafi lamba tradition raha hai. Yaha Europe mein 18vi saadi mei ek Croatian scholar ne pehli bar Sanskrit ka grammar publish kari thi. Yahan par Hindi mein kafi utsah hai jaise maine kaha tha ki jab Pradhan Mantri ji ka swagat hua hotel mein to bahut alag-alag Croatia ke logo ne Sanskrit mein shlok … shlok se lekar classical dance Indian classical dance Kathak aur anya tariko se Pradhan Mantri ka swagat kiya.
Hindi … yahan par Hindi mein kafi ruchi hai aur yoga aur ayurved mein bhi kafi ruchi hai Croatia mein. Pichli bar yahan par antarrashtriya Yog divas par anek events organize ki gayi thi aur yahi ek aage bhi hum aasha karte hain iska hoga. Toh ye char jo documents the wo alag-alag dikhate hain from science and technology to krishi to culture to Hindi studies.
[Approximate Translation: Answer in Hindi: On the documents that were exchanged today — The first among the documents exchanged today was a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on cooperation in the field of agriculture and allied sectors. There is considerable interest in Croatia to enhance cooperation with India in this area. The Croatian Minister of Agriculture was also present during the event, and in his remarks, he specifically mentioned his keen interest in strengthening cooperation with India in the agricultural sector. There is a possibility of delegation exchanges, and more concrete steps will be taken in this regard.
The second document was a Program of Cooperation in the field of Science and Technology. This will involve collaboration across various themes and disciplines. Cooperation will be enhanced through joint calls for research between research institutions and similar mechanisms.
A Cultural Exchange Program was also signed. It will focus on various areas of cultural exchange. The University of Zagreb, which has had an Indology Department for nearly 60 years and a long-standing tradition of Indology in this region, is especially notable. In fact, in the 18th century, a Croatian scholar was the first in Europe to publish Sanskrit grammar.
There is considerable enthusiasm for Hindi here. As I mentioned earlier, when the Prime Minister was welcomed at the hotel, many people from Croatia greeted him with Sanskrit shlokas, classical Indian dance performances like Kathak, and other traditional Indian forms.
There is strong interest in Hindi, as well as in yoga and Ayurveda in Croatia. During the last International Day of Yoga, several events were organized here, and we hope for similar participation and enthusiasm in the future as well.
So, these four documents reflect a wide range of cooperation — from science and technology to agriculture, to culture, and Hindi studies.]
Shri Randhir Jaiswal, Official Spokesperson: Thank you, sir. With that ladies and gentlemen we come to the close of this press briefing. You will find all the documents on the website of the Ministry of External Affairs that includes the details of the four MoUs as also the joint statement. Thank you very much.
Zagreb
June 18, 2025
