In recent years, India and Croatia have steadily strengthened their bilateral relationship, driven by growing trade and investment ties, defence cooperation, cultural diplomacy, and people-to-people exchange. This strategic deepening is now being reinforced at the highest levels of leadership.
Historic Diplomatic Outreach
India first established formal diplomatic relations with Croatia on 9 July 1992, shortly after Croatia’s independence. Since then, a web of agreements and MoUs has woven together areas as diverse as aviation, education, agriculture, narcotics control, science, culture, tourism, and defence.
Notably, Prime Minister Narendra Modi made history in June 2025 by becoming the first Indian prime minister to visit Croatia. During his state visit, held in Zagreb from 15–19 June 2025, he signed key pacts and underscored a shared worldview. In a joint statement with Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković, Modi emphasized that “solutions to problems cannot come from battlefields,” highlighting both nations’ commitment to diplomacy over militarism.
Expanding Economic Engagement
Bilateral trade has surged in recent years. In FY 2021–22, trade crossed US$552 million, up nearly 200% from the previous fiscal year. Though it declined to US$291 million in FY 2023–24, the high-growth pulse shows strong potential.
In FY 2023–24, India exported roughly US$233 million in goods to Croatia ranging from pharmaceuticals, organic chemicals, engineering equipment, and ceramics. Croatia’s exports to India, valued at US$58 million, included high-value segments like electrical machinery and nuclear-reactor equipment.
Enhancing economic ties are initiatives like the India–Croatia Startup Bridge (launched in December 2021), which plugs Indian and Croatian startups into each other’s innovation ecosystems. Additionally, bilateral bodies such as the revived India–Croatia Joint Business Council, established during Commerce Minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s 2017 visit, facilitate business-to-business connections.
Croatia’s strategic ports at Rijeka and Ploče serve as vital gateways for Indian businesses entering Southeastern and Western Europe. India is keen to attract Croatian tech and industrial investment into flagship Indian initiatives such as Make in India, Smart Cities, Digital India, and electric vehicles.
Defence, Technology and Innovation Partnerships
Defence cooperation took a leap in 2023 with a new MoU between the Indian and Croatian Ministries of Defence aimed at joint R&D, manufacturing, and market access. This has created promising avenues for collaboration in defence technologies.
In the digital sphere, the Startup Bridge’s initiatives such as the India Croatia Startup Challenge encourage knowledge sharing, joint programming, and mutual mentorship to foster cross-border innovation.
Government-level conversations, like Commerce Secretary Barthwal’s 2025 visit to Zagreb, placed digital infrastructure, defence manufacturing, renewable energy, pharmaceuticals, and EV tech at the heart of future collaboration.
Culture, Education and Tourism: A Softer Side
Cultural and educational exchange remains a bedrock of the relationship. The Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) has sponsored Hindi and Sanskrit chairs at the University of Zagreb since 2009 and 2019 respectively.
In 2019, MoUs in culture, tourism, and sports were signed during President Ram Nath Kovind’s visit including cooperation between the Sports Authority of India and the University of Zagreb’s kinesiology faculty. The agreement in tourism dovetailed with a sharp rise in Indian visitors over 69,000 in 2019, a nearly 7.3% increase over 2018. A growing Ayurveda presence in Croatia supported by an Ayurveda cell established at the Indian embassy has hosted events that advance India’s holistic healthcare tradition.
Strategic and Global Alignment
Croatia’s EU membership (2013) and NATO integration reinforce its strategic importance for India serving as a bridge to the EU market and platforms like the Indo-Pacific Forum. Bilateral dialogues such as the 10th and 11th rounds of Foreign Office Consultations in 2022 and 2024—align the countries on global issues ranging from UN cooperation, climate action, security, and regional peace.
Modi’s visit in June 2025 epitomized this alignment emphasizing multilateralism, global stability, and strengthening ties in trade, tech, tourism, culture and defence.
Looking Forward: A Partnership on the Rise
Based on shared democratic values and economic complementarities, the India–Croatia partnership is poised for strong expansion. Key areas to watch:
- Trade & investment: Leveraging Croatia’s ports to connect Indian goods to Europe, while inviting Croatian tech investment into India’s infrastructure and digital goals.
- Defence & security: Increasing joint R&D, co-production, and interoperability as Croatia modernizes its military and India expands its defence export base.
- Innovation ecosystems: Strengthening the Startup Bridge and expanding institutional linkages to accelerate high-growth ventures.
- People-to-people ties: Boosting academic exchange, cultural festivals, and tourism enhancement.
Together, India and Croatia are charting a forward-looking partnership that reflects growing alignment in diplomacy, economics, and innovation. Prime Minister Modi’s landmark 2025 visit marks a new chapter one where Eastern dynamism meets Western European nexus, forging a modern, multi-dimensional alliance.
Sources:
- https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/pm-in-croatia-no-solutions-from-battlefield/articleshow/121942090.cms?utm_
- https://www.orfonline.org/expert-speak/india-in-central-and-eastern-europe?utm_
- https://indbiz.gov.in/country/croatia/?utm_
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