Still, many obstacles remain.
Iranian business people want an introduction of a direct airline service between Tehran and Zagreb and the loosening of the visa regime between Iran and Croatia. That is a message sent by Golamhossein Shafeei, the president of the Iranian Trade, Industrial, Mining and Agricultural Chamber, who is heading a large Iranian economic delegation visiting Croatia, reports Jutarnji List on September 20, 2017.
The Croatian-Iranian Economic Forum was held today at the Croatian Chamber of Commerce (HGK) and gathered about 80 business people from the two countries. Significant potential for further development of Croatian-Iranian economic relations is seen by both sides in the trade sector and joint ventures in third markets.
“Croatia is for us a key country to enter the European markets, while Iran can be a springboard for Croatia towards the Central Asia and Caucasus markets. For example, Croatian and Iranian companies can jointly produce goods for the Afghan market,” said Shafeei.
Both sides noted that the relations between Iran and Croatia had improved considerably after the visit of President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović to Tehran last year, and after a recent visit by Marko Pavić, the Minister of Labour and Pension System, to the country with about 80 million inhabitants.
A large Iranian market can be an excellent opportunity for a number of Croatian companies, which also have a possibility to participate in infrastructure projects. In developing cooperation with Iran, particular benefits could be achieved by the food, pharmaceutical, chemical and automotive industries, as well as tourism and the IT sector.
“There is interest in strengthening cooperation from both sides. I want to emphasise that there are hundred Croatian companies with the Halal certificate, which opens the door to the Iranian market,” said Luka Burilović, president of the Croatian Chamber of Commerce.
The importance which Iranians attach to the development of relations with Croatia is demonstrated by the fact that the Iranian business delegation, in addition to business people, also includes several members of the Iranian Parliament. However, the biggest obstacle to strengthening economic relations remains the lack of direct payments system between the two countries. Minister Pavić said that the problem was being solved as quickly as possible.
According to the HGK data, Croatian exports to Iran rose by 19.45 percent last year but remained at a modest 4.4 million dollars. On the other hand, last year’s imports from Iran amounted to slightly less than 0.6 million dollars, down by 18.02 percent year-on-year. These figures show that the opportunities for the development of economic cooperation between Iran and Croatia are nowhere near to being used.
Translated from Jutarnji List.
