Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Gordan Grlić Radman on Wednesday met with Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov. The talks focused on additional advancement of bilateral relations, with an emphasis on boosting economic cooperation.
Grlić Radman described Croatia-Azerbaijan relations as very good and steady, adding that the two countries cooperated excellently in international formats. He cited great potential for closer cooperation in many areas of mutual interest, notably in the field of IT, energy, shipbuilding, pharmaceutical and food industries as well as the defence industry. The minister particularly underlined the possibility of cooperation in mine clearance, for which Croatia has advanced technology and the competence that Azerbaijan needs.
Accompanying Grlić Radman on his visit was a delegation of Croatian business people, who held meeting with their Azerbaijani counterparts. “We would like to see more Croatian companies doing business in Azerbaijan and a greater synergy between our countries. Croatia has a lot to offer to Azerbaijan in terms of goods and services, and this visit further proves it,” he said.
The two ministers also discussed the situation in Southeast Europe and the South Caucasus. “Croatia is one of the biggest proponent of EU enlargement, because that is the best way to achieve long-term stability and prosperity – on the condition the criteria are met, of course,” Grlić Radman said. He added that Croatia advocated a more active role of the EU in the region, as well as stronger cooperation with Azerbaijan in the context of the Eastern Partnership and stronger cooperation in dealing with common challenges such as migrations, energy and the pandemic.
Grlić Radman also met with Azerbaijani Minister of Economy Mikayil Jabbarov, with whom he signed a memorandum of understanding on information exchange and assistance in tax collection, as well as with Minister of Transport, Communications and High Technologies Rashad Nabiyev.