Publish Date: 1 March 2018 - 14:57

TEHRAN, Mar. 01 (MNA) – Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif held talks with Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović on Thursday in Zagreb.

During the meeting, the Croatian president highlighted the good level of political ties between the two countries, and voiced the keen interest of Croatia’s trade sector in doing business with the Iranian side.

She expressed hope for the removal of obstacles to the two countries’ cooperation on investment, and called for further cooperation in tourism, food industries, science and technology and petrochemicals.

For his part, Zarif noted the large economic delegation accompanying him on his third visit to Craotia in the past year, voicing readiness to boost economic relations alongside political ties.

Iran can serve as a reliable partner for providing Croatia with its required energy, particularly oil and gas, he added.

He also maintained that the two sides can expand cooperation in automobile and spare parts manufacture, as well as new technologies and infrastructure projects.

Zarif then referred to the international hazards of terrorism, adding “Iran and Croatia can have closer bilateral and multilateral cooperation in combating common threats, such as terrorism and extremism.”

The two sides further conferred on regional developments, including the current situation in Syria, Yemen, Afghanistan, as well as issues related to the Balkans region.

The Iranian foreign minister and his accompanying delegation are in Croatia as the third leg of his Eastern European tour following his earlier visits to Serbia and Bulgaria.

Zarif will wrap up his tour with a visit to Bosnia.

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