This article sets out how diplomatic relations between India and Croatia were established, the visits exchanged by heads of state, heads of government, ministers and parliamentarians, and the consultations held between the two foreign ministries. It is based on the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) brief on India-Croatia relations of March 2026, which is dated 16 March 2026.

Establishment of relations

According to the MEA brief of March 2026, the Republic of Croatia (Republika Hrvatska in Croatian, population around 3.9 million) proclaimed independence on 25 June 1991 after breaking away from the former Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. India formally recognised Croatia in May 1992, and diplomatic relations were established on 9 July 1992.

The brief records that, in the days of former Yugoslavia, Croatia played an important role in the links between India and Yugoslavia. Croatia accounted for more than two-thirds of trade between the two nations, including large-scale purchases of Croatian ships by India in the 1970s and 1980s. Marshal Tito, who ruled Yugoslavia for more than three decades, was a Croat, and he and Prime Minister Nehru were pioneers of the Non-Aligned Movement.

After independence, Croatia's initial focus was on the ethnic conflict that followed the break-up of former Yugoslavia, and then on integration with NATO (1 April 2009) and the European Union (1 July 2013). The brief states that the Croatian Government's next focus is to join the Organization for Economic Cooperation & Development (OECD).

Visits by the Prime Ministers

Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Croatia on 18 June 2025 at the invitation of the Prime Minister of Croatia, Andrej Plenković. The brief describes this as the first ever visit to Croatia by any Indian Prime Minister. The two leaders exchanged views on bilateral relations, the India-EU strategic partnership and cooperation in multilateral fora, and agreed that the two countries enjoy "close and friendly relations, rooted in shared values of democracy, rule of law, pluralism and equality".

The leaders noted the importance of improving connectivity, including through the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) initiative. Four key bilateral documents were signed during the visit, in the fields of agriculture, science and technology, the Cultural Exchange Programme and the Hindi Chair at the University of Zagreb.

Prime Minister Modi thanked Prime Minister Plenković and Croatia for their support and solidarity after the terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, on 22 April 2025. Both sides condemned terrorism and violent extremism in all its forms and manifestations, including transnational and cross-border terrorism. They reiterated a zero-tolerance approach to terrorism, rejecting any justification for such acts.

At the invitation of Prime Minister Modi, Prime Minister Plenković made an official visit to India from 18-21 February 2026 to take part in the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Impact Summit 2026 in New Delhi. According to the brief, this was the first ever visit by any Croatian Prime Minister to India. The two leaders discussed cooperation in trade and investment, science and technology, connectivity, cultural exchanges and people-to-people ties.

Recalling the conclusion of what the brief calls the "historic India-EU FTA", the leaders urged early implementation of the agreement to boost bilateral trade. They exchanged views on regional and global issues and emphasised harnessing Artificial Intelligence and emerging technologies. Prime Minister Modi appreciated Croatia's interest in India's wellness tradition of Yoga and Ayurveda.

The two Prime Ministers had met earlier on the fringes of the COP26 conference in Glasgow on 1 November 2021.

Other visits at the highest level

Former President Shri Ram Nath Kovind paid a State Visit to Croatia in March 2019, and former Vice-President Shri M. Hamid Ansari visited Croatia in June 2010. From Croatia, then President Stjepan Mesić paid a State Visit to India in November 2002.

On 3 September 2021, External Affairs Minister (EAM) Dr. S Jaishankar paid the first ever official visit by an Indian EAM to Croatia and met his Croatian counterpart, Gordan Grlić Radman. Foreign Minister Radman visited New Delhi on 2-4 March 2023 to attend the Raisina Dialogue. At his bilateral meeting with Dr. Jaishankar, the two Ministers signed the MoU on Defence Cooperation and discussed other areas of the relationship.

Ministerial visits

The brief lists these earlier visits to Croatia by Indian ministers:

  • Shri Pranab Mukherjee, Commerce Minister (September 1994)
  • Dr. B.B. Ramaiah, MOS (Commerce) (September 1997)
  • Shri Shatrughan Sinha, Minister of Shipping (August 2003)
  • Shri Digvijay Singh, Minister of State for External Affairs (September 2003)
  • Smt. Bhavnaben Chikhalia, Minister of State for Tourism & Culture and Parliamentary Affairs (October 2003)
  • Shri Kapil Sibal, Minister of Science & Technology and Earth Sciences (February 2007)
  • Shri Anand Sharma, Minister of State for External Affairs (September 2007)
  • Smt. Preneet Kaur, Minister of State for External Affairs (February 2014)
  • General (Dr.) V.K. Singh (Retd), Minister of State for External Affairs (April 2016)
  • Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman, Minister of Commerce and Industry [Independent Charge] (February 2017)

Smt. Meenakashi Lekhi, MoS, visited Croatia twice in 2023: in April on a bilateral visit and in July for the Dubrovnik Forum. The brief presents the 2023 visits as indicators of a "growing partnership", particularly in the areas of the "4Ts": Trade, Technology, Tourism and Talent.

From Croatia, visits at the level of Deputy Prime Minister took place in April 1995 (Mate Granić, who was also Foreign Minister) and November 2000 (Goran Granić). Ministerial visits took place in April 1992 (Zvonimir Separović, Foreign Minister), November 1998 (Nenad Porges, Minister of Economy), March 1999 (Bozo Biškupić, Minister of Culture), May 2001 (Tonino Picula, Foreign Minister) and September 2003 (Pave Zupan Rusković, Minister of Tourism). After a gap, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Marija Pejcinovic Buric visited India in October 2018.

Parliamentary exchanges

Several members of the Croatian Parliament, known as the Sabor, have visited India. The brief names Vladimir Šeks, Acting Speaker (March 1999); Zdravko Tomac, Deputy Speaker (January 2003); Marija Lugaric (January 2007); Furio Radin, Chairman, Committee on Human and National Minority Rights (February 2008); Luka Bebic, Speaker (March 2010); and Veljko Kajtazi, MP for National Minorities and President of the Indo-Croatian Parliamentary Friendship Group (March 2018).

From the Indian side, Speakers of the Lok Sabha visited Croatia in July 1997 (Shri P.A. Sangma) and July 2002 (Shri Manohar Joshi).

Foreign Office Consultations

Nine rounds of Foreign Office Consultations (FOCs) at Secretary level took place between 1995 and 2011. The tenth round was held in Zagreb on 4 November 2022.

The 11th session was held on 30 April 2024 in New Delhi. It was led by Shri Pavan Kapoor, Secretary (West), and Dr. Petar Mihatov, Director General in the Croatian Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs (MoFEA). The two sides reviewed existing relations, including cooperation in trade and economic matters, defence and maritime affairs, science and technology, innovation, research and development, tourism, culture and people-to-people ties.

The two foreign ministries also have an Agreement on Cooperation between the Diplomatic Academy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Croatia and the Foreign Service Institute (FSI), Ministry of External Affairs, dating from 2000.