January the 19th, 2023 - The Indian unicorn Amagi has chosen the Republic of Croatia, more specifically Zagreb, for the opening up of its very first development centre outside of Indian borders. This is excellent news for the country and job opportunities are set to open up.

As Josipa Ban/Poslovni Dnevnik writes, while a fairly decent number of Croatian technology companies are moving their headquarters outside of this country's borders, we're also seeing the opposite, which is very important news for all of Croatia. The Indian unicorn Amagi has decided to open its very first research and development centre outside of India right here in Zagreb.

The office has only just opened, and hiring should begin soon, according to the media technology company founded back in 2008, which provides "cloud" content broadcasting services and targeted advertising solutions for broadcasting on TV and streaming platforms.

The Indian unicorn Amagi is, therefore, a global SaaS leader that provides video solutions "in the cloud". It isn't yet exactly known how many people will be employed by this company here in Croatia and just how much will be invested. However, the company has stated that they decided on Croatia because they had already cooperated with local experts, so they decided to use that cooperation for further development.

"The high level of productivity of Croatian experts, along with a good balance between private and business life, makes Croatia an excellent location for a successful high-tech company like Amagi. We plan to expand and we will do so both in and outside of Croatia," said Sanjay Kirimanjeshwar, the vice president of the Indian unicorn Amagi, who is also in charge of marketing.

As for the development centre here in Zagreb, he says that it is difficult to go into details about product development. "But what we can confirm is that their work will be instrumental in accelerating the growth of streaming TV and FAST, especially in technologies that include big data, UHD Graphics, Dolby Vision, JPEG-XS, machine learning and personalisation," revealed Kirimanjeshwar.

The brand new centre here in Zagreb will be led by Igor Marinic, Marko Horvat and Danijel Peric, and it should enable this successful Indian company to expand more into the European market.

"Thanks to the research and development centre in Croatia, we'll be closer to our users and will be able to offer them the technological support they need in real time," said Baskar Subramanian, the CEO and co-founder of the Indian unicorn Amagi, a company that sells its solutions across more than 40 countries of the world, whose client list includes the likes of ABS-CBN, AccuWeather, A+E Networks UK, Cinedigm, Cox Media Group, Crackle Plus, Fremantle and numerous other impressive names.

The arrival of Amagi here in Croatia was actually not publicly known, but preparations had been underway for some time now, according to an inspection of the Court Register, which shows that the company in Zagreb (Amagi Eastern Europe d.o.o.) was founded in April last year.

Besides the fact that the Indian unicorn Amagi certainly has its own calculations when it comes to the opening their first foreign development centre in Zagreb, it's clear that this is a great thing economically for Croatia and its experts who will now get the opportunity to work on the development of some of the most advanced video and communication technologies. This was also confirmed by a statement from Igor Marinic, the general director of Amagi Eastern Europe.

"Croatia has successfully established itself on the global technological map as a country which creates the best talent, therefore we're confident that the newly opened Amagi development centre will be one of the key drivers of further growth and success," he pointed out. The company also received an investment of slightly more than 100 million US dollars just two months ago (in November 2022) from the American investment company General Atlantic.

With the capital raised, the value of the company increased from 1 billion dollars, which was what they were worth back in March 2022, when they received an investment of 95 million dollars, to a whopping 1.4 billion dollars. They achieve 100% annual revenue growth and employ more than 800 people worldwide. Part of the investment will obviously also be invested in the newly opened development centre here in Croatia, but the exact amount is currently unknown.

For more, make sure to check out our dedicated business section.

ZAGREB, 25 Oct 2021 - Croatia and India wish to improve bilateral relations, notably cultural cooperation, Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković and Indian Council for Cultural Relations Director General Dinesh Patnaik said on Monday.

They met in Zagreb to discuss the development of the relations between the two countries, notably through the 2019-22 cultural exchange program between the two governments, and preparations for an international Roma conference to take place in Zagreb in April, the government said in a press release.

Plenković said he wished for the bilateral relations to intensify, adding that the EU-India strategic partnership which began in 2018 and the future agreements currently being negotiated created better conditions for deepening economic cooperation between Croatia and India.

Patniak said India was planning numerous activities to bring its rich cultural legacy closer to Croatian citizens.

Plenković said he was pleased the international Roma conference was being prepared by the Croatian and Indian governments together, adding that the Croatian government pursues a policy of inclusion towards all ethnic minorities.

Croatian Roma MP Veljko Kajtazi, who attended the meeting, said a lot had been done to improve the status of the Roma community in Croatia and in implementing the Roma Operational Programme.

The common priority is to continue to work on even better Roma integration in Croatian society, he added.

For more, follow our politics section.

ZAGREB, October 2, 2019 - A bust of Mahatma Gandhi was unveiled in Zagreb on Wednesday, on the 150th anniversary of his birth, by Indian Ambassador Arindam Bagchi, Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković and Zagreb Mayor Milan Bandić.

The bust, made by awarded Indian sculptor Ram Vanaji Sutar, and its pedestal are a gift from the Indian Embassy in Croatia, which also financed the erection of the monument.

Ambassador Bagchi said it was appropriate that the inscription under the bust, Gandhi's first in Croatia, should be his message "There is no path to peace, peace is the path".

We hope the unveiling of this bust will enable the new generation of Croatia's inhabitants to learn something about the lasting message which Gandhi sent the world and which is equally important today. We also hope this bust will become an important and interesting place to the people of Zagreb as well as tourists, he said.

Bagchi thanked Plenković and Bandić for attending, saying it symbolised Croatia's love and affection for Gandhi.

He recalled that Indian President Ram Nath Kovind, visiting Croatia this past March, announced that he would gift a bust of Gandhi. He said he was very pleased that the president's promise could be kept so soon by finding an eternal home for Gandhi in Zagreb's beautiful Bundek park.

Plenković said he was very pleased to be at the unveiling of a bust of the great Mahatma Gandhi in Croatia's capital on the 150th anniversary of his birth.

He said the UN declared Gandhi's birthday the International Day of Non-Violence and that Gandhi distributed his message of non-violence and peaceful resistance for eternity and for the whole world as a universal message stemming from his authority and role as politician and great statesman.

Plenković cited two of Gandhi's quotes. "The first is that force is the weapon of the weak and non-violence the weapon of the strong, and the other is that the only way to live is to let others live."

"This message of tolerance and peace will stay with us also thanks to this bust in Zagreb, a message as a symbol of the friendship between Croatia and India, and we as the government are grateful to President Kovind, who was the first Indian president to officially visit Croatia this spring, for this gift," Plenković said.

Mayor Bandić wished for the Gandhi monument to bring out in the people of Zagreb more love, wisdom, reason, openness and feeling for true values. He especially greeted the ambassadors of the US and Russia, Robert Kohorst and Anvar Azimov, who attended today's unveiling.

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

ZAGREB, March 27, 2019 - Possibilities for advancing economic cooperation between Croatia and India are great, notably in the IT, tourism, farming, textile and leather processing, pharmaceutical, energy and defence industries, heard a Croatia-India business forum, held in Zagreb on Wednesday.

The forum was organised by the Croatian Chamber of Commerce (HGK) in cooperation with the Indian Embassy in Zagreb and India's chambers ASSOCHAM, CII and FICCI, on the occasion of the official visit of Indian President Ram Nath Kovind to Croatia.

Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović said that year after year Croatia was recording a permanent growth in the number of arrivals and overnights made by tourists from India, adding that last year the number of tourists from India visiting Croatia increased twenty times in comparison with 2011.

"I would like to see the economic cooperation between our countries recording the same growth," Grabar-Kitarović said, adding that Croatia was a country of big development potential.

Croatia treats local and foreign investors the same and in order to increase Foreign Direct Investments and make its economy competitive, the county is continuously advancing its legal framework for the promotion of investment, Grabar Kitarović said, urging Indian business people to look into Croatia's investment comparative advantages and investment stimulation measures.

Grabar-Kitarović said there were numerous possibilities for the two countries to boost their economic cooperation, notably in the IT, shipbuilding, pharmaceutical and transport sectors, especially through the northern Adriatic Port of Rijeka.

Grabar-Kitarović said she would also love to see India and the European Union sign a free trade agreement and in that context, she expressed hope negotiations on that agreement would be renewed. Along with bilateral agreements on economy cooperation, the free trade agreement would secure a legal framework for further development of economic cooperation between Croatia and India.

Indian President Kovind agreed Croatia and India had numerous possibilities for advancing their economic ties, notably in technology, tourism, infrastructure, energy and defence, as well as in the pharmaceutical industry.

Our demands are high and I call on Croatian companies to use their opportunity, Kovind said.

HGK president Luka Burilović said Croatia's trade with India in 2018 barely exceeded 160 million dollars
with Croatia's exports dropping 23% to only 13 million dollars.

Several cooperation agreements which are meant to boost economic cooperation between Croatia and India, were signed during the business forum.

Some 100 Croatian and 30 Indian companies attended the forum at the HGK premises.

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

ZAGREB, March 27, 2019 - India welcomes Croatia's coming presidency of the European Union, Indian President Ram Nath Kovind said on Tuesday in Zagreb where he, together with Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović, underlined the importance of strengthening bilateral relations, notably the economic ties, with Grabar-Kitarović urging India to open a distribution centre in the Port of Rijeka.

Kovind, who is the first Indian president ever to visit Croatia, first held meeting with Grabar Kitarović after which the two presidents attended the signing of four cooperation agreements.

Relations with the European Union are very important to us, Kovind told a news conference he held together with Grabar-Kitarović.

He said he was looking forward to the first half of 2020 when Croatia is scheduled to preside over the bloc, saying this would be a framework for stepping up cooperation. It is important for the European Union to be the anchor of the global security in this polarised world, Kovind said.

Given Croatia's geo-strategic position within the European Union, Croatia has "assumed responsibility to act as a strong link in connecting, energy wise, central, southern and eastern Europe," the Croatian president said.

This is about promoting the Port of Rijeka as an entry point into the central and eastern Europe and a free trade zone, she said. "I briefed the president in that context so that we could welcome the setting up of India's distribution centre in the Port of Rijeka," Grabar-Kitarović said.

Kovind said he arrived in Croatia accompanied by a large business delegation, stressing that he was looking forward to the Croatia-India business forum where he is expected to address those present.

He urged Croatian companies to invest in India, recalling that India's business people had already made investments in Croatia's pharmaceutical sector and renewables. "We are interested in exchanging experience in the energy, ICT, defence, shipbuilding and health sectors," the Croatian president said.

The two head of states expressed satisfaction with the exchange of tourists. The Indian president said that the overall number of tourists visiting Croatia was impressing, adding that 64,000 Indian tourists visited Croatia last year.

One of the four agreements signed on Tuesday was the agreement regulating cooperation in the tourism sector, signed by Croatian Tourism Minister Gari Cappelli and Indian Ambassador to Croatia Arindam Bagchi.

Kovind said that Croatia's global sports successes were equally impressive, expressing hope that an agreement between the Zagreb-headquartered Faculty of Kinesiology and the Sports Authority of India (SAI), also signed in Zagreb on Tuesday, would lead to a joint initiative aimed at advancing sports capacities.

Croatia and India on Tuesday renewed the existing agreement on cooperation pertaining to the department of Hindi at the University of Zagreb.

India, the world's largest democracy according to the population, this year is marking the 150th anniversary of the birth of the father of India's independence – Mahatma Gandhi.

As a memento of that occasion India is giving Croatia a bust of Mahatma Gandhi as a gift, Kovind said, adding that he was honoured to have received the highest Croatian state decoration. He also thanked the Croatian president for having condemned a barbaric attack committed in India last month.

Prime Minister Andrej Plenković on Tuesday received the visiting Indian President Ram Nath Kovind for the talks on boosting bilateral relations, the Croatian government said in a press release.

Plenković highlighted the fact that Kovind was the first Indian head of state to visit Croatia since its independence, adding that this visit can serve as a reference point for the further promotion of bilateral relations.

Kovind was quoted as saying that he was glad to visit Croatia with which India has been developing good and friendly relations for a long time. He called for the intensification of economic cooperation between the two countries, primarily in the sectors of IT, tourism and culture.

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

Ambassador of India in Croatia Sandeep Kumar has posted on his official embassy Facebook page his farewell gifts given to Croatian officials, reports Index.hr on November 1, 2018.

“The ambassador has presented the paintings that he himself painted, which show different topics such as parliamentary elections in Croatia, the crisis in Agrokor, the cathedral in Zagreb, the successful performance of Croatia at the recent football World Cup, paintings of Croatian landmarks, and a portrait of Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović," announced the embassy on Facebook.

As could be expected, the portrait of the Croatian president was given to here. To be honest, if we did not know who his inspiration was, we would hardly be able to guess that it was Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović.

Prime Minister Andrej Plenković received a painting about the election in Croatia. Unlike president’s painting, this is much more realistic, since it shows how elections are done in Croatia – chaotically.

The ambassador gave the painting about the “Agrokor Crisis" to Minister of Economy, Darko Horvat, who entered the government precisely because of the crisis since his predecessor had to resign after her involvement in the events surrounding the affair was discovered.

Zagreb Mayor Milan Bandić received a painting of the Zagreb cathedral, while Zlatko Dalić, the manager of Croatia’s national football team, appropriately received a painting showing the successful performance of the Croatian national football team at the recent World Cup in Russia.

The Modern Gallery in Zagreb will have in its collection Kumar's painting of a boat called “Azure Adriatic".

The ambassador is now leaving Croatia, so he will presumably focus his artistic talents on politicians and events in some other country.

If you are interested to read more about Croatia and India, click here.

ZAGREB, October 23, 2018 - Croatian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Marija Pejčinović Burić was on an official visit to India on Monday, confirming good bilateral relations between the two countries and underscoring the potential for their further development, the ministry said in a press release.

ZAGREB, October 21, 2018 - Croatian Foreign and European Affairs Minister Marija Pejčinović Buric will officially visit India on October 22 and South Korea on October 23-24, her ministry said in a statement.

ZAGREB, January 27, 2018 - India's national day, observed on January 26, was marked in the northern Croatian town of Varaždin at an event organised by the Indian Embassy and hosted by Ambassador Sandeep Kumar.

The office in Zagreb will cover Europe and Russia.