(Hina) - Croatia's First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign and European Affairs, Vesna Pusić, travels to Iraq for an official visit from May 2 to 5, when she will meet with government officials for talks on strengthening economic cooperation.
Croatia and Iraq have been cooperating on the economic front for about ten years. Last year, Croatia mostly exported weapons and ammunition, electric machines and equipment for electrical circuits, while importing oil and mineral oils.
Minister Pusić is scheduled to meet with Foreign Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari, Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, Parliament Speaker Salim al-Jabouri, President Fuad Masum, Defence Minister Khalid al-Obeidi and Minister for Women's Affairs Bayan Nouri. She is also due to meet with Jan Kubis, the United Nations Secretary General's Special Representative for Iraq, visit the Bahirka refugee camp near Erbil and meet with Nechirvan Barzani, the Prime Minister of Iraqi Kurdistan.
Trade between Croatia and Iraq has been oscillating in recent years. The highest amount of Croatian exports in the last ten years was recorded in 2010 when Croatia exported about EUR 32.3 million worth of goods to Iraq. In 2014 trade reached EUR 47.7 million, which was about 130% more than in 2013 when it totalled EUR 20.7 million. Last year Croatia exported EUR 17.3 million worth of goods and imported EUR 30.3 million.
Figures supplied by the Croatian Bureau of Statistics show that Croatian exports in January 2015 were 40% lower than in January 2014, totalling EUR 31,000, while imports from Iraq were not recorded.