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International Affairs
SPEECH BY SHRI K.R.NARAYANAN, PRESIDENT OF INDIA, WHILE ACCEPTING THE CREDENTIALS FROM DR. ZORAN ANDRIC, AMBASSADOR-DESIGNATE OF THE REPUBLIC OF CROATIA TO INDIA

NEW DELHI, NOVEMBER 12, 1998

It gives me great pleasure to accept your Credentials as the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Croatia to India. I warmly welcome you to my country and extend my sincere congratulations on your appointment to this position of high responsibility.

Excellency, relations between India and Croatia have always been cordial and friendly. Our links have been sustained by a genuine feeling of warmth and affection that has traditionally existed between our two peoples. The considerable interest amongst the people of your country in Indian languages, religion, literature and philosophy has provided a firm foundation to our bilateral ties and has helped foster people-to-people relationship. We are confident that our co-operation will further intensify and strengthen in the years to come, to mutual benefit.

India established diplomatic relations with Croatia in July 1992 soon after it emerged as an independent State. We recall with appreciation that Croatia opened its mission in New Delhi in February 1995. We reciprocated by opening our mission in Zagreb in April 1996. These developments contributed to the generation of a perceptible momentum in our bilateral interaction. Recent Ministerial and other high level exchanges between India and Croatia have also led to a better appreciation of each other's concerns and priorities and we look forward to the further strengthening of our mutual understanding and goodwill.

We have followed with friendly interest the economic stabilization programme implemented by Croatia to invigorate its economy. India, too, has pursued a programme of economic liberalization and the Indian economy is on a path of sustained economic growth. Developments in our respective countries have brought forth new opportunities for the further expansion of our economic ties. We look forward to tapping the potential for promoting bilateral economic and commercial co-operation so as to invest Indo - Croatian relations with even greater content.

Successive technological revolutions and the increasing pace of global economic integration in this century have wrought fundamental changes in human societies. At the threshold of a new millennium, mankind is faced with the challenge of creating a new world order which ensures that the benefits of technological change, scientific advances, and economic growth accrue to all societies and nations. It is important for the world community to ensure that this new order is just, equitable, democratic, and representative of all regions of the world and all sections of humanity and is based on respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of states. I am confident that India and Croatia will make concerted efforts at all international fora in the pursuit of this goal.

Excellency, may I assure you that the Government of India will always be forthcoming in extending to you its full co-operation on issues concerning our bilateral relations. I wish you an enjoyable and productive stay in India and success in your endeavour to further consolidate Indo-Croatian friendship and co-operation. I would also like to take this opportunity to convey through you, my best wishes for the health and happiness of His Excellency President Franjo Tudjman and for the prosperity and well-being of the friendly people of Croatia.

Thank you

Jai Hind
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