ZAGREB, 18 Nov 2021 - French President Emmanuel Macron will visit Croatia on 24 and 25 November, the Elysée Palace announced in a press release on Thursday.
Macron will be the first French head of state to pay an official visit to Zagreb since Croatia gained independence in 1991.
During the visit, the two countries are set to sign a strategic partnership and an agreement on the procurement of French Rafale aircraft for the Croatian Air Force.
In May, the Croatian government announced its intention to purchase 12 Rafale multipurpose fighter jets to upgrade its Air Force, and the AFP news agency described this as the biggest procurement of weaponry by Croatia since its independence.
In September, Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković said that "security-wise, the purchase of (French) military aircraft strategically changes the way Croatia is perceived as it is about to significantly change its status in military terms."
So far in his presidential term, Macron has visited all EU member states, except Croatia and Hungary.
After Zagreb, the French president will fly to Italy and the Vatican.
France takes over the EU presidency from Slovenia on 1 January 2022.
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