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| Sunday, 24 November 2002 |
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Great potential for co-operation between Lanka, Croatia Croatian President Stjepan Mesic said that no country can develop on its own as the world is becoming borderless; hence unity is the key to success. The President, who led a high-powered delegation to Sri Lanka, made a historic visit to the 164-year old Ceylon Chamber of Commerce (CCC) where he addressed Sri Lanka's business leaders. President Mesic said he invited Sri Lankan President Chandrika Kumaratunga to lead a delegation to Croatia not only to explore the opportunities in Croatia, but in the whole European Union (EU). He made this invitation when he met President Kumaratunga in Colombo. Speaking through an interpreter, Mesic said they brought the delegation to establish the best cooperation between the two countries. He said that Croatia and Sri Lanka have similarities and there is great potential for cooperation. To maximise this potential, visits between the two countries are essential. "Croatia is also the gateway to the EU," he said. Nadan Vidosevic, President Croatian Chamber of Commerce told the gathering that Croatia is well positioned in all parts of the world as it is close to all major countries. He also reiterated the comments of President Mesic and requested for greater cooperation between the two countries. Chairman CCC Tilak de Zoysa, who is also the Honorary Consul for Croatia in Sri Lanka, said President Mesic's visit was a landmark event as it is one of the rare visits by a head of state to the CCC. "I would like to specially invite the Croatian delegation to consider Sri Lanka as the hub for trade with South Asia and to capitalise on the Free Trade Agreement with India. We will have such agreements with Pakistan and Bangladesh very soon," he added. The delegation was on a four-day visit to Sri Lanka, from where they flew to Jordan. Croatia, after two decades of war, became an independent state in 1991. It has a population of 4.4 million and enjoys a per capita income of US$ 4,726. Exports amount to US$ 4.6 billion while imports are US$ 0.04 billion. The country has a strong agricultural, industry and services base while it is a popular holiday destination in the Mediterranean. In 2001, 7.8 million tourists visited the country, bringing in US$ 3 billion as foreign exchange. |
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