President al-Assad Hold Talks with the Croatian President, a Milestone visit towards building further relations with Europe

Zagreb, ChamPress-President Bashar al-Assad arrives today in Zagreb at an invitation from the Croatian President Stjepan Mesic, in the framework of a first state visit to the Balkan area or to former Yugoslavia state.

President al-Assad's accompanying delegation comprises Deputy Premier for Economic Affairs Abdullah al-Dardari, Foreign Minister Waleed al-Moallem, and Deputy Foreign Minister Abdul Fattah Amoura.

Following the official reception ceremony, talks will be held tomorrow between President Assad and President Mesic,after which a press conference will be held and President Assad will visit the parliament and meet the Speaker Yadranka Koser.

The talks will deal with the developments of regional and international conditions, bilateral relations and horizons of cooperation.

The two countries are comitted to the double taxation ban treaty and to economic relations that both countries intend to promote, in addition to Croatian investments in oil and gas domains.

This visit takes place after the Croatian President's visit to Damascus last December, when President Assad said that the talks dealt with "developing bilateral relations that have a historic background, when Croatia was part of former Yugoslavia.

Political and Econnomic Cooperation with Europe 

The Syrian-European ties are heading towards more political and economic cooperation, as reflected by the growing exchanged visits of European and Syrian officials on all levels.

President al-Assad's visit to Croatia constitutes an important milestone towards building further relations with Europe on the economic level, as well as creating a political atmosphere that is supportive of Arab causes, on top the Arab-Israeli conflict, and mobilizing efforts to achieve just and comprehensive peace in the Middle East.

Although the Syrian-Croatian diplomatic ties are nascent, after the foundation of the Republic of Croatia in 1991, the economic and cultural ties between the two countries have a solid basis and historical foundations that date back to the former Federal Yugoslavia of which Croatia was a part.

 Also, the visit of the Croatian President Stjepan Mesic to Damascus in December 2008 was an important step towards enhancing bilateral ties, where Presidents al-Assad and Mesic discussed means of upgrading the mutual cooperation prospects.

The talks during the meeting also dealt with the situations in the Middle East and the Balkans, and the need that the European countries take a balanced attitude and play an effective role to implement the international legitimacy resolutions to achieve just and comprehensive peace in the region.

 Syria and Croatia's stances in support of the United Nations and its role in settling conflicts around the world are identical, as illustrated by the Croatian President's stress, during his visit to Syria, on Syria's right to restore its occupied territories in order to achieve just and comprehensive peace.

 In the economic field, Syria and Croatia signed an agreement on avoiding double taxation and one on exchanging air services. Also, there exist Croatian oil and gas exploration companies working in Syria.

The Honorary Consul of Croatia in Damascus Khouchaba Nissan said  that the Croatian exploration companies working in the field of oil and gas, especially in oil exploration and constructing gas and oil-processing facilities have a perceived role.

The Consul added that there are individual enterprises for the tourist exchange between the two countries but  not official yet despite the available potential, underlining the importance of exchanging expertise to attract tourists in the interests of both countries.

The agreement on exchanging air services between the two countries is a positive step towards facilitating movement, said Nissan, voicing hope in encouraging businessmen from both countries with the aim of increasing the trade exchange volume.

Syria exports food, vegetables and cotton products to Croatia, and imports from it chemical materials, oil and gas equipment and marine products.