ZAGREB, May 7, 2018 – Croatia’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy, Entrepreneurship and Crafts Martina Dalić, who is on an official visit to Iran from May 5 to 8, has met with officials of the country to discuss ways of strengthening bilateral economic cooperation with special emphasis on establishing payment operations, the Economy Ministry said in a press release on Monday.
Dalić met with Vice President Mohammad Bagher Nobakht, Minister of Economic Affairs and Finance Masoud Karbasian, and Central Bank Governor Valiollah Seif.
“The meetings focused on strengthening bilateral economic relations with special emphasis on the issue of establishing payment operations. Deputy Prime Minister Dalić underscored that she was pleased that Croatian companies were welcome to the Islamic Republic of Iran, as shown by already concluded deals,” the Economy Ministry underlined.
Dalić said that Iranian state institutions and companies were prepared for cooperation. “A market of 80 million people in Iran opens numerous opportunities for Croatian companies, particularly in areas of energy, engineering, the food industry, pharmaceuticals, tourism and the like,” Dalić said.
Dalić attended the official opening ceremony of the Iran Oil Show 2018 where she met with Oil Minister Bijan Namdar Zangeneh. She is expected to meet with Minister of Industry Mohammad Shariatmadari and President of the Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture Gholamhossein Shafei, and address a business council of the Croatian and Iranian chambers of commerce, after which meetings between Croatian and Iranian tourism, energy and food companies are due to take place.
A Croatian Chamber of Commerce (HGK) delegation is also in Iran and will attend an Iranian-Croatian economic forum, during which the first meeting of the business council of the two chambers will be held. The council was established last year with the aim of identifying and resolving problems in economic cooperation between the two countries.
As potential areas of cooperation the HGK highlighted the oil and gas sector, the automobile industry, the electricity and energy sector, shipbuilding, the food industry, tourism and the railway sector.
In 2017, trade between Croatia and Iran reached 58 million euro, according to data provided by the Croatian national statistical office. Croatia’s exports totalled 5.3 million euro, a rise of 33.6% in comparison to 2016, whereas imports from Iran soared to 52.8 million euro from 537,000 in 2016.
