Hopes are high for improved bilateral relations between Korea and Croatia, which
the country’s visiting foreign minister expects to strengthen when it earns full
membership of the European Union (EU) in 2012.
“Korea has signed a free trade agreement (FTA) with the EU. When Croatia joins
the EU, it will open the door for trade exchanges with Korea. We look forward
to that,” said Croatian Foreign Minister Gordan Jandrokovic, 43, in an interview
with The Korea Times, Tuesday.
The year 2012 also marks the 20th anniversary of diplomatic relations between
Croatia and Korea.
The minister is now in Seoul for an official visit through today.
Korea signed a free trade agreement with the EU last year and the pact is now
awaiting ratification.
Negotiations for Croatia to join the EU are also near completion.
“We are expecting to finish negotiations in the first half of 2011, which means
that during 2012 we will be a full member (of the EU).”
One of the challenges Croatia faces, as it aspires to become a logistic hub in
southern Europe, is privatizing its six shipyards.
Three shipyards have successfully received bids from private companies, he said.
For the remaining three, he encouraged Korean firms to get involved. Minister
Jandrokovic said he was disappointed to learn that Croatia’s relatively expensive
labor has been keeping Korean companies away.
Croatia has a GDP per capita of roughly $17,500. It is located in Central and
Southeastern Europe, and borders Slovenia, Hungary, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina,
and Montenegro.
The country’s economy relies heavily on tourism. “We’re also interested in offering
tourism perspectives to Korea,” Jandrokovic said.
Croatia boasts a long stretch of coast along the Adriatic Sea, ancient cities
and unspoiled islands. Some sites are even registered on the list of UNESCO’s
World Heritage Sites.
Korea is an emerging market for the Croatian tourism initiative, as the country
strives to diversify the origins of tourists. Currently, around 10,000 Koreans
visit Croatia annually. Japanese tourists are one of the traditionally strong
Asian visitors, a reason Croatia keeps a tourism office in Tokyo.
In recent years, the tourism office, coupled with the Croatian Embassy in Japan,
has been vigorously promoting tourism in Korea by participating in fairs and
organizing independent activities here.
Jandrokovic acknowledged that it is important to open a permanent foreign mission
in Korea, saying that opening an embassy in Seoul has been one of the priorities
for his government
“When we consolidate our financial budget, we will open it.”
He has been in office for more than two years now. This was his first visit to
Korea.
