Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Thursday said Pakistan and Croatia could leverage their strategic geographic positions to unlock “enormous potential” for economic growth and cooperation between the two countries.
Dar made the remarks after meeting Croatian Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Gordan Grlić Radman, who arrived in Islamabad for a one-day official visit.
Speaking at a joint press briefing, Dar said both countries were located in strategically important regions and could benefit from enhanced connectivity and cooperation. “Both Pakistan and Croatia are situated at important geographical locations and could utilise their presence and locations to untap their enormous potential for growth between the two countries and beyond.”
He said he briefed the Croatian minister on the “potential, capacity, facilities and connectivity of our Karachi port”, adding that both sides discussed possible cooperation between the ports of the two countries.
Dar highlighted that connectivity “lies at the heart of a vision for sustainable development, regional stability and global economic integration”. He said discussions between the two sides were “warm, constructive and wide-ranging”, covering political, economic and other areas of mutual interest.
The deputy prime minister said Pakistan and Croatia agreed to strengthen cooperation in trade, investment, agriculture, labour mobility, education, defence, climate change, tourism, infrastructure, information technology and seaport collaboration.
The two countries also decided to make a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on bilateral political consultations between their foreign ministries fully operational, with Pakistan offering to host the first round of consultations in late 2026 or early 2027.
Discussing economic relations, Dar said both sides acknowledged that bilateral trade remained below its actual potential and agreed to enhance economic ties through business-to-business (B2B) exchanges and a possible future trade forum.
He welcomed the presence of Croatian companies in Pakistan and invited more businesses to take advantage of the country’s investment policies. Dar also reaffirmed the importance of Pakistan’s access to the European Union’s Generalised Scheme of Preferences Plus (GSP+) and said Islamabad had started preparations for reapplication under the new framework expected from January 1, 2027.
Dar said Pakistan and Croatia were working to accelerate the opening of a Croatian visa processing facility in Islamabad, as applicants currently travel to Tehran for visa services. Radman expressed hope that the facility would open soon.
The two sides also discussed labour mobility, with Dar stressing the importance of creating legal migration pathways for Pakistani skilled workers while addressing illegal migration and human smuggling.
“We agreed to continue work on legal pathways for Pakistan’s skilled manpower, stressing the need for combatting human smuggling and illegal migration,” Dar said.
He added that safe and regulated migration channels would help protect migrants’ rights while weakening smuggling networks.
Dar said both countries also explored cooperation between agricultural and research institutions and invited a department from the University of Zagreb to visit Taxila, which he described as the “greatest cosmopolitan centre of learning in the ancient world”.
The deputy prime minister noted that Radman’s visit was the first high-level visit from Croatia to Pakistan in a “long time” and represented an important step towards strengthening bilateral relations.
Croatia highlights Pakistan as key partner
Croatian Foreign Minister Gordan Grlić Radman said relations between the two countries were based on “friendship and mutual respect”, expressing hope that his visit would help expand trade, investment and cooperation in new sectors.
He said Croatian companies had been operating in Pakistan since the 1950s and hoped this cooperation would encourage greater presence of Croatian products, technologies and services in Pakistan, particularly in pharmaceuticals, health, defence, digital technology, IT, tourism and fuel production.
Radman invited Pakistani businesses to invest in Croatia, saying the country’s location “opened doors to the European market”.
He also highlighted Croatia’s expertise in humanitarian demining, civil protection, disaster response, firefighting and other fields, adding that its airports, maritime ports and railway connections made it an important hub for international travel, cargo and connectivity.
The Croatian minister said a joint communique between Pakistan and Croatia reflected their commitment to deeper cooperation, strengthening multilateralism, supporting the UN Charter and promoting peace and stability.
He described Pakistan as a “key partner” of the European Union and said GSP+ had “served as a catalyst for Pakistan’s integration into the global economy”.
Radman invited Dar to visit Croatia and said he would be the “first minister to be invited to the Dubrovnik Forum” scheduled for June 2027. He also invited Pakistani female police officers to participate in Croatia’s UN-certified pre-deployment training for peacekeeping missions.
Regional and global issues discussed
During the talks, Dar briefed the Croatian minister on issues including Kashmir, Gaza, the Indus Waters Treaty and security concerns related to militant groups operating from Afghanistan.
He urged international support for the restoration of the Indus Waters Treaty and called for an end to the “weaponisation of water”.
Dar also highlighted concerns regarding the presence of Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) and affiliated networks in Afghanistan, stressing that Afghan territory should not be used against other countries.
Both sides condemned terrorism in “all its forms and manifestations” and agreed on the need for international cooperation to counter the threat.
Radman appreciated Pakistan’s diplomatic role in the US-Iran conflict, saying Croatia “particularly appreciated very much” Islamabad’s efforts that led to the Islamabad MoU.
The two ministers also discussed the Ukraine conflict, agreeing on the need for peaceful solutions based on international law and the UN Charter, along with developments in the Western Balkans.
Dar said Pakistan and Croatia remained committed to “multilateralism, the UN Charter, respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity and the peaceful settlement of disputes”.
Radman praised Pakistan’s engagement at the United Nations Security Council and its efforts to promote dialogue and consensus-building.
PM Shehbaz calls for stronger ties
Earlier, Croatian Foreign Minister Radman met Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who called for expanding cooperation in trade, investment, information technology, connectivity, agriculture, tourism and skilled manpower.
The Prime Minister’s Office said Shehbaz described Pakistan-Croatia relations as being based on “cordiality, mutual respect and shared interest”.
The prime minister invited Croatia’s President Zoran Milanovic and Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic to visit Pakistan.
Radman thanked the prime minister for the welcome and praised Pakistan’s role in supporting regional peace efforts, expressing Croatia’s desire to strengthen bilateral relations across various fields.
