PHOTOS: Argentina President Gifted Croatian Shirt

President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic met with Argentina President Mauricio Macri (Photo: Ured Predsjenice)

Croatian president Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic has begun her official visit to South America on Sunday in the Buenos Aires province of Luján in Argentina as she joined the annual pilgrimage of the Croatian community.

On Monday she met with Argentina President Mauricio Macri. Bilateral relations between Croatia and Argentina were considered to be friendly and good, and it was agreed that there are no open issues between the two countries.

President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic gifted Argentina President Mauricio Macri a football shirt (Photo: Ured Predsjenice)

It is estimated that there is room for improvement of bilateral relations, especially in the economy. Bearing in mind both the mutual potential and the interest and potential of Croatian emigration in Argentina, President Grabar-Kitarović provided opportunities for strengthening and developing economic cooperation in the fields of chemical and pharmaceutical industries, mechanical engineering, wood industry and furniture industry, food industry, military industry, shipbuilding, tourism and the IT industry.

The possibilities of using Croatian ports for export of Argentinean products to the European market was specially mentioned by the president.

(Photo: Ured Predsjenice)

The president stressed that a large number of members of the Croatian community live in Argentina, ranging from 200,000 to 250,000, who are very successful in the construction of Argentinean society in the field of economic activities and culture and make an important link in relations between Croatia and Argentina.

President Grabar-Kitarovic is the first Croatian president since 1994 to officially visit Argentina and returned the invitation to Macri to visit Croatia which he accepted.

The pair also discussed cooperation between the European Union and the Argentina in the context of the negotiations for the conclusion of the Free Trade Agreement between the European Union and Mercosur (South American Common Market), and emphasized the importance of joining the two countries to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Development).

(Photo: Ured Predsjenice)

The president also met with Argentina’s Vice-President Gabriela Michetti and discussed Croatian emigrants in Argentina, with both stressing they provided an important link between the two countries. President Grabar-Kitarovic will also visit Chile and Brazil.