ZAGREB, April 16, 2019 - Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković on Monday evening expressed solidarity with the French people following a massive fire that consumed Notre Dame, a Paris landmark and UNESCO World Heritage site.

"It was with deep sadness that we followed the horrible fire at Notre-Dame Cathedral, a monument of world heritage and a symbol of France, of European culture and our Christian heritage. Tonight, we all feel solidarity with the French people," Plenković wrote on Twitter.

France was stunned by the fire that broke out at the cathedral in the early evening, bursting rapidly through the roof and engulfing the spire, which toppled, quickly followed by the entire roof.

After burning for about 8 hours, the fire was largely extinguished by 0300 CET on Tuesday, said Reuters.

The cathedral's main stone structure had escaped complete destruction by the time the fire came under control.

Earlier, in addition to battling to prevent one of the main bell towers from collapsing, firefighters tried to rescue religious relics and priceless artwork. One firefighter was seriously injured - the only reported casualty.

World leaders expressed shock and sent condolences to the French people. The Paris prosecutor's office said it had launched an inquiry into the fire. Several police sources said they were working on the assumption for now that the fire was accidental, according to Reuters.

More news on relations between Croatia and France can be found in the Politics section.

ZAGREB, April 7, 2019 - A project titled "Croatia – Where Masts Write Stories", which will promote Croatia at a forthcoming European maritime festival in the French coastal town of Morbihan, was presented by Cronaves, an association for the promotion of Croatia's maritime heritage.

Following an invitation from the organisers of the festival "Gulf Week - Gulf of Morbihan", which will take place in the northwestern French region of Brittany from 27 May to 2 June, Croatia will promote its maritime heritage, the Cronaves chairman Plamenko Bavčić said.

He said that the purpose of attending this biennial festival is to increase the recognisability of Croatia as a maritime country.

Over a thousand boats gather in the Ascension week every two years to put on an extraordinary spectacle in one of the most beautiful bays in the world, the organisers say on the festival's website.

Croatia's programme includes the presentation of tradition of small shipbuilding from Betina on the island of Murter and from the islands of Hvar and Ugljan.

More news about Croatian islands can be found in the Lifestyle section.

ZAGREB, March 2, 2019 - Throughout March, which is Month of Francophony, a total of 150 events aimed at promoting the French language and culture will be held in 11 Croatian towns, and diverse programmes have been prepared by the embassies of member-countries and observers in the International Organisation for Francophony in Zagreb, the French embassy says in a press release.

The programmes offered by the embassies of France, Belgium, Canada, France, Romania, Morocco and Switzerland include poetry reading, concerts, exhibitions and screening of films.

Thus, the Month of Francophony kicks off with a concert to be given by Pierre Guitard and Menoncle Jason in Zagreb's Sax Club on 5 March, and this event has been supported by the Canadian embassy.

The Tuškanac cinema theatre will show several films in the French language.

Other Croatian cities that join in observing the Month of Francophony are Split, Rijeka, Osijek, Dubrovnik, Koprivnica, Križevci, Omiš, Samobor, Varaždin and Zadar.

French is spoken by 274 million people throughout the world.

The International Organization of La Francophonie "was created in an international context dominated by the Cold War and in the wake of the process of decolonization.The Organisation was open to those countries where French was the official language or the main minority language. First inaugurated as the Agency for Cultural and Technical Co-operation (ACTC) and then as Intergovernmental Agency of La Francophonie, it took the present name of Organisation of La Francophonie with the constitutive Charter adopted in November 2005," according to the information on the organisation's web site.

More news about the relations between Croatia and France can be found in the Politics section.

ZAGREB, November 12, 2018 - The celebration of the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I, which was held at the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, was not only a commemorative event but it also served as an opportunity to look at the future, Croatia's President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović said in Paris on Sunday.

After the ceremony in Paris, the Croatian president told the press that the commemorative events were important not only to pay tribute to those who gave their lives but also to look at the future.

She said that during her stay in France, she was received by French President Emmanuel Macron, and held meetings with several other world leaders.

Grabar-Kitarović said that the Paris Peace Forum was opened by French President Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who represented the countries which used to be on the opposite sides during the World War I and II, and that nowadays the two leaders were working together on the European Union project.

Threats facing the world such as terrorism, poverty, inequality, ignorance, climate change require our concerted action and no country can deal with it on its own, the Croatian president said.

After the central ceremony was held at Arc de Triomphe, President Grabar-Kitarović met with President Macron and other world leaders at Elysee Palace, and attended the plenary session of the Paris Peace Forum.

She told the press that she had done a lot of work on the margins of the commemorative events. In this context she mentioned her meetings with U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, and informed the press that she reiterated her invitation to Putin to visit Croatia.

Grabar-Kitarović presented as a gift "Judita (Judith)", an epic poem of Croatian writer Marko Marulić, to the library of the Paris Peace Forum.

The central celebration of the centenary of the end of the Great War was held in the French capital to mark 100 years since the armistice reached on 11 November 1918. The armistice between the Allies and Germany was signed in a railway carriage in a forest near Compiegne in northern France, marking the end of hostilities which began in 1914.

For more on the Croatian president, click here.

ZAGREB, November 9, 2018 - Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović will join world leaders in France this weekend to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the end of the First World War and attend the Paris Peace Forum, a new initiative modelled after the Paris climate-accord meetings of three years ago.

Grabar-Kitarović's office said in a press release on Thursday the president will attend Armistice Day ceremonies in Paris on Sunday to mark the end of the "war to end all wars."

More than 60 leaders are to take part in the commemoration, including French President Emmanuel Macron, U.S. President Donald Trump and German Chancellor Angela Merkel. On Saturday, Grabar-Kitarović will attend a dinner reception given by French President Macron.

During her stay in Paris, Grabar-Kitarović will visit an exhibition called "Croatie. Pleine de couleurs (Croatia, Full of Colours)" which was opened at the Louvre in October.

On display are 26 large-format photographs by Croatian photographer, traveller and adventurist Davor Rostuhar showing all Croatian regions, their nature, traditions, customs and people, with all colours of the seasons. They are part of his large project "Croatia from Above" which was published by National Geographic as its first photo monograph from Croatia.

For more on relations between Croatia and France, click here.

The Museum of Contemporary Art is a partner in the project.

ZAGREB, October 17, 2018 - Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković opened an exhibition called "Croatie. Pleine de couleurs (Croatia, Full of Colours)" in Paris' Carrousel du Louvre shopping mall on Tuesday evening, whose aim is to promote Croatia as a travel destination and increase its visibility in the world.

ZAGREB, October 17, 2018 - Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković said in Paris on Tuesday that he was very pleased with the results of his meeting with his host, French President Emmanuel Macron.

ZAGREB, October 16, 2018 - Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković met with representatives of French employers in Paris on Tuesday and briefed them about cooperation possibilities between the two countries, a topic he will discuss later today with French President Emmanuel Macron.

ZAGREB, October 16, 2018 - Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković said on Monday that he and his host Emmanuel Macron would met on Tuesday for the talks on the strengthening of bilateral relations on the political and economic fronts.