New Delhi, February 18 Prime Minister Narendra Modi had a "fruitful" meeting with his Croatian counterpart Andrej Plenkovic on Wednesday, during which they discussed ways to strengthen bilateral ties in areas such as technology, innovation, shipbuilding, and the blue economy, officials said.
Modi also expressed his gratitude to Plenkovic for his personal support for the India-European Union free trade agreement (FTA), which will bring "unprecedented progress" for people in India and Europe.
"I had a fruitful discussion with the Prime Minister of Croatia, Mr. Andrej Plenkovic. We discussed how to strengthen our bilateral partnership in areas such as technology, innovation, shipbuilding, the blue economy, and to boost connectivity through the IMEEC corridor," Modi said in a post on X.
Plenkovic said that in the first 11 months of 2025, trade exchange increased by 10 per cent, and Croatia saw further opportunities for cooperation in logistics and maritime transport, digital transformation, defense and security, and in other areas.
"It was a pleasure to meet again with the Prime Minister of India in New Delhi, following his visit to Zagreb last year. We are building excellent political relations with India, the world's most populous country," he posted on X.
Plenkovic also said that they reflected on Croatia's priorities as Chair of the Three Seas Initiative (3SI) and the EUMED9 group.
The 3SI is a political and economic forum launched in 2015-2016 by Croatia and Poland, focusing on 13 EU member states between the Baltic, Adriatic, and Black Seas.
As a Mediterranean gateway to central Europe, Croatia has a unique position and role in connecting the 3SI with the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC), Plenkovic said.
"We welcomed the EU-India trade agreement, which will create a free trade area covering a quarter of humanity. It is important that the EU continues to develop cooperation and partnership with global powers such as India," he said.
The Croatian leader also said that his visit is taking place in the context of the AI Impact Summit-2026, during which his delegation will discuss the role of artificial intelligence (AI) in shaping today's world.
The AI Impact Summit, being held at the Bharat Mandapam here from February 16-20, is being attended by more than 500 global AI leaders, including CEOs and founders, academics, researchers, CTOs, VPs, and philanthropists.