India Croatia bilateral relations have been friendly since the days of the former Yugoslavia, and both countries share a cordial and steadily growing relationship. Now, with the visit of Indian Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, the relationship between the two countries will become robust. Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Croatia on Wednesday, becoming the first Indian Prime Minister to visit the country.
History of India-Croatia relations
After the formal proclamation of independence on June 25, 1991, from Yugoslavia, India recognised Croatia in May 1992.
On July 9, 1992, both countries established diplomatic relations. Initially, it was a resident mission but later upgraded to a full-fledged Ambassadorial mission. Croatia opened its resident mission in New Delhi in February 1995. India started its mission in April 1996.
India maintained strong ties with Yugoslavia from its early days, and Croatia accounted for more than two-thirds of trade between Yugoslavia and India.
Croatia An Introduction
Croatia is a central European country with a long Adriatic coastline and an area of 56,594 sq km. The capital is Zagreb, with a predominantly ethnic Croat population. The total population is 3.86 million(2023). Other major cities include Split, Rijeka, Osijek, Čakovec, Zadar, Sisak, Varaždin, Šibenik, Pula, and Vukovar.
Croatia shares a border with Slovenia and Hungary in the north, Bosnia in the South, the Adriatic Sea in the west, and Serbia in the east.
Croatia has two distinct climates. Along the coast, the climate is Mediterranean, characterised by hot and dry summers, although the “bura wind” blowing from the mountains refreshes summer afternoons and brings rainy winters. Inland Croatia has a continental climate.
Brief History of Croatia
Who are Croatians?
From 6000 B.C., there is evidence of agriculture practised in this region. Later, the Veneti people inhabited parts of Croatia. By the second millennium B.C. Illyrians came to Croatia (the main inhabitants of Croatia in those days).
During the fourth century B.C., Celts settled in the Western parts of the Balkan area. Later, the Romans conquered the Illyrians.
Croats were South Slavs settled on the Dalmatian coast by the beginning of the seventh century. These Slavs were gradually converted to Christianity by Catholic priests. Autonomous “South Slavic Zupanates” (meaning Zupan in the early days was Clan chief, later days Duke) appeared in Croatia during the 9th and 10th centuries.
“Tomislav“, in 910, created the first stable Slav kingdom. After this, the Hapsburg dynasty came into the picture. Later, Croatia was conquered by the Turks but freed by the Hapsburg in 1699.
Hapsburg made an attempt in the 1830s to impose the Hungarian language (Magyarization). This triggered anger among Croatians. In 1867, Austria ceded Croatia to Hungary, and by this time, the Croats had gained more autonomy and their own parliament.
After First World War
After the First World War in 1918, Croatia became part of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes. In 1921, they adopted a unitary government and constitution.
Alexander I assumed authority in 1921, and the constitution was abolished in 1929. In 1934, his successor, Prince Paul, was ousted, and Croatia became a nominally independent state.
Later, in 1946, it was merged by “Marshall Tito“, also known as “Josip Broz Tito“, into the Republic of Yugoslavia.
Constitutions of Croatia
After 1921, Croatia adopted its new constitution in 1947. Later, new constitutions for Yugoslavia were promulgated in 1953, 1963, and 1974.
The present constitution of Croatia is also mentioned as the Christmas constitution. It was adopted on December 22, 1990(before the formal independence declaration). This led to a war with Serbian-dominated Yugoslavia.
Croatian War of Independence
On June 25, 1991, when Croatia declared freedom from Yugoslavia, clashes broke out in areas like Krajina and Slavonia. These places had a Serb majority. This led to the fleeing of Croats and the Occupation of a third of Croatian territory.
In December, the Republic of Serbia Krajina was declared, and in January 1992, a cease-fire was made.
When the European Union recognised Croatia, the situation changed. In February, the U.N. Peacekeeper reached out to ensure Peace.
In August 1995, Operation Strom was launched by Croatia to capture occupied areas, and Serbian Krajina was recaptured. Only East Slavonia remained under Serbian control. The Dayton Accords of November 1995 confirmed that Eastern Slavonia was an integral part of Croatia, and in 1998, they regained control of the region.
Previous High-Level Visits Between India And Croatia
The first high-level visit from Croatia to India was made by the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance of Croatia in April 1995. After this visit in November 2022, President Mr Stjepan Mesić visited India.
The first Indian leader to visit Croatia was the then-President of India, Shri Ram Nath Kovind, in March 2019.
Shri Narendra Modi became the first Prime Minister to visit Croatia. The Prime Minister was warmly received by his Croatian counterpart, Andrej Plenković, at Franjo Tuđman Airport. The Prime Minister spoke with Prime Minister Plenković and met the President of Croatia, H.E. Mr. Zoran Milanović.
In September 2021, Dr S. Jaishankar, External Affairs Minister, visited Croatia. During this visit, both sides signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Defence cooperation.
India Croatia Trade Relation
Croatia’s exports to India rose from 32 million dollars to 218 million dollars in 2023. Imports from India also rose from 119 million dollars to 337 million dollars.
India exports Aluminium Ingots, Fertilisers, Pharmaceutical products, Ready-made garments, Rubber, etc. Croatia exports machinery, wood products, and instruments for measuring and testing to India.
The trade between the two countries from January to November 2024 was approximately 306 million dollars, with Croatia facing a significant trade deficit.
India Croatia Cultural Relations
India and Croatia have had cultural relations for centuries, with the earliest visitors being missionaries. Ivan Filip Vezdin, a Croat priest, is credited with publishing the first printed Sanskrit grammar in 1790.
The University of Zagreb has had a Department of Indology for over 60 years. In 2024, they published a special Hindi poetry book, “Bharat“. This is a collection of poems translated into Hindi from the Croatian poetry book “Slon Siroče“, penned by Drago štambuk, the first Croatian Ambassador to India.
In 2018, both countries signed a cultural exchange programme and renewed up to March 2025.
In October 2019, to mark Mahatma Gandhi’s 150th birthday, a bust of Mahatma Gandhi was unveiled by the Prime Minister of Croatia. The ICCR, or the Indian Council for Cultural Relations, donated the bust.
Significance of PM Narendra Modi’s Visit
- Croatia is located on the Adrian Sea coast, and its ports fall under the TEN-T Network. These ports can become vital for India’s Exports to Europe.
- The ports of Croatia may become critical in the current India-Middle East-Europe economic corridor.
- Croatia is a full-time member of the European Union as well as NATO and can also help strengthen India’s position in the ongoing negotiations for the India-EU Free Trade Agreement.
- Both countries can make significant positive contributions to the fields of digital innovation and trade.
- The visit to Croatia will also underscore India’s commitment to further strengthening its engagement with partners in the European Union. India is one of Croatia’s most important partners in the Asia region.
- This visit will help in promoting robust political and economic cooperation with Croatia. It will also provide a crucial possibility to expand bilateral cooperation in diverse sectors, including trade, innovation, defence, ports, shipping, science and tech, cultural exchange, and workforce mobility.
