Zagreb - Trade between Croatia and Switzerland has increased by eight percent year-on-year to around €600 million, Croatian Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković said on Tuesday at a press conference with Stefan Engler, President of the Council of States, the upper house of the Swiss parliament.
Jandroković described relations between the two countries as friendly and said there was interest in expanding cooperation in defence and pharmaceuticals, infrastructure, information technology and tourism. Nearly 300,000 Swiss tourists have visited Croatia this year, he added.
The Croatian official highlighted the potential for cooperation in defence, including Croatian production of unmanned systems and demining equipment, and said Croatian companies were seeking international partners and markets.
Diaspora as a bridge
Jandroković said the two countries were connected not only by economic cooperation but also by people-to-people ties, highlighting the Croatian community in Switzerland as a bridge between the two countries.
Engler said around 100,000 Croats lived in Switzerland and described his visit as reflecting the close relations between the two countries, which share interests and values. He also said regional and cultural dialogue played an important role in both democratic societies.
Swiss financial support
Engler said Switzerland was providing financial support to Croatia through its cohesion funds, adding that he knew the funds were in good hands.
He highlighted water management and palliative care as examples of cooperation and said a Swiss delegation had been invited to visit some of the projects.
Jandroković said the support was part of the Swiss-Croatian Cooperation Programme, funded by Switzerland through 2030, with CHF 45.7 million earmarked for the ten-year period.
One of the projects is in Gorski Kotar, where Engler will visit a wastewater treatment plant in Brod Moravice on Wednesday.