Taking Qatar-Croatia bilateral relations to new heights, His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani and Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic yesterday witnessed the signing of a number of agreements and memorandums of understanding at Presidential Palace in Zagreb, official Qatar News Agency (QNA) has reported.
The agreements are for co-operation in organising cultural events, mutual exemption of visa requirements for holders of diplomatic and private passports, and for co-operation and news exchange between QNA and Croatian News Agency.


His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani being received by Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic at the Presidential Palace in Zagreb 

The memorandums of understanding are for co-operation in education, higher education and science, military co-operation between the Defence ministries of both countries, agricultural co-operation to benefit from joint experiences in food security, to exchange sport experiences and hold training camps, and for academic co-operation between Qatar University and the University of Zagreb in addition to student exchange and joint scientific research.
The Amir and President Grabar-Kitarovic held a session of official talks. They discussed bilateral relations and means of developing them, especially in the areas of economy, investment, tourism, energy, education and health, apart from developments in the Middle East and international issues.
The Amir expressed his thanks and appreciation to the Croatian president for the warm welcome, expressing his happiness at visiting Croatia and holding the third meeting with her this year. He also praised President Grabar-Kitarovic’s important visit to Qatar last year.


His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani and Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic witnessing the signing of an agreement between the governments of Qatar and Croatia in Zagreb

During joint press statements with the Croatian president after the official talks, His Highness the Amir said that the Qatari-Croatian relations are strong and should be developed to a wider perspective in light of the regional challenges, stressing the importance of continuous co-ordination between the officials of the two countries. In this regard, the Amir pointed out that the talks focused on a number of important areas, including energy, sports and tourism. 

The Amir welcomed the Croatian community and companies to Qatar. He praised the Croatian team's achievements in the 2018 World Cup in Russia, wishing that they qualify for the 2022 Qatar World Cup and make more achievements. His Highness the Amir also thanked the Croatian president for her country's contribution of a series of valuable books to the Qatar National Library.


His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, accompanied by Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic, inspects a guard of honour at the presidential palace in Zagreb

President Grabar-Kitarovic stressed the importance of the Amir’s visit to Croatia, which will further develop the excellent bilateral relations. She expressed optimism about the future co-operation, particularly in the fields of energy, industries, defence, technology and tourism.

His Highness the Amir and his accompanying delegation attended a luncheon banquet hosted by the Croatian president at the Presidential Palace. Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic and a number of ministers and senior officials were present.

The Amir also met Plenkovic at the cabinet headquarters in Zagreb. The meeting reviewed the relations between the two countries and the prospects for their development in various fields, especially in the economy, industry, energy, tourism and food security.

His Highness the Amir visited the Croatian Parliament headquarters where he was was welcomed by the Speaker Gordan Jandrokovic, Deputy Speaker Zeljko Reiner, chairman of Qatari-Croatian Parliamentary Friendship Group Stjepan Curaj and a number of Parliament members.

Related Story