September 10, 2021 - The head of Croatia’s Halal Industries Center, together with the Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Iran, has agreed to increase the cooperation between the two countries in boosting the halal industry including food, medical, and tourism in the country. 

Halal tourism in Croatia has increased significantly over the years with an observed 40% growth in the number of visitors coming from the Middle East, Persian Gulf, and North Africa this year. Due to this, Croatia continues to strive in keeping up with the international halal standards. 

According to Islamic Republic News Agency, Ambassador Parviz Esmaili and Aldine Dogonić reached an agreement last Wednesday to co-sponsor the 2nd Iran-Croatia Halal Industry to be conducted in Tehran this year. Further details on the upcoming 2021 Zagreb Halal Industry Seminar were also discussed which included the introduction of Iranian firms and their possible collaboration with Croatia's Halal Industries Center.

As specified by Croatian National Tourist Board, the growth of Islamic tourists in Croatia proves the importance and relevance of improving halal tourism in the country. According to them, Islamic visitors should be able to enjoy their stay as much as possible without neglecting their religious beliefs, practices, and commitments. Halal tourism does not only include halal food and preparation but also requires Halal-certified hotels to provide Quran, prayer rugs, and minibars that do not contain any alcoholic beverages. 

The Halal Industries Center of Croatia has reported over 200 Croatian companies including food and medicine production, as well as tourism, which have products that are in compliance with the international halal standards. Currently, there are 21 hotels and 7 tourist agencies throughout Croatia which are halal certified and the number of applications for certification is predicted to continuously increase for the next 5 years as Croatia attempts to be the new halal-friendly destination. 

For more on halal, visit Croatia's Center for Halal Qualification Certification.

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ZAGREB, February 15, 2020 - Croatia's Foreign and European Affairs Minister Gordan Grlić Radman said on Friday that Iran should adhere to the nuclear agreement with world powers, which other signatories are trying to keep alive after the United States pulled out of it.

Iran has not been adhering to the provisions of the agreement, designed to prevent it from developing a nuclear bomb, after the USA withdrew from the agreement in 2018 and again imposed economic sanctions on Iran.

"The nuclear agreement offers the best framework for the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons and we need to adhere to it," Grlić Radman told reporters after meeting with his Iranian counterpart in Munich.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif did not address the press after the meeting, held on the margins of the Munich Security Conference 2020.

"There is no alternative to peace, security is important and politicians have the responsibility... to relieve the suffering of civilians," Croatia's foreign minister said referring to the harsh sanctions imposed on Iran.

As a minister of the country currently chairing the EU, Grlić Radman told Zarif that "dialogue and building bridges is the most important," adding that during the talks he advocated European values - the rule of law, human rights and the fight against corruption and for media freedoms. "Those values can be a paradigm for the world," Grlić Radman said.

The nuclear agreement has been brought into question after US President Donald Trump unilaterally decided in 2018 that the USA would withdraw from the agreement, reimposing sanctions on Iran.

That decision has virtually isolated Tehran from the international financial system and Iran has lost its major oil buyers and sunk into deep recession and has stopped adhering to certain provisions of the nuclear agreement, accusing Europe of giving in to US pressure.

The Iran nuclear deal was signed in 2015 by the USA, Russia, China, Great Britain, France and the EU.

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

ZAGREB, January 4, 2020 - Croatia's Foreign and European Affairs Ministry on Friday called for defusing the situation in Iraq and the Middle East following the killing of Iranian General Qassem Soleimani in an airstrike in Iraq, which has prompted Iran to threaten reciprocal actions.

"The Republic of Croatia is closely following with deep concern the developments in Iraq and in the entire Middle East," the ministry says in a press release.

We call for calming the situation and urge restraint from the use of force and we also advocate the investment of additional efforts in seeking a diplomatic solution in the interest of all sides and the preservation of global peace, the Croatian ministry says.

The ministry is also in permanent contact with the Croatian embassy in Baghdad and says that the embassy staff and Croatian nationals in that country are safe and well.

The international community is concerned over the escalation of the situation in the region following U.S airstrikes in which General Soleimani was killed on Friday morning.

Iranian officials are quoted by international media as saying that this is an act of war to be met by "harsh retaliation".

More news about Croatia and the Middle East can be found in the Politics section.

ZAGREB, October 17, 2019 - The Croatian government on Thursday decided on the one-off payment of humanitarian assistance to Iran, Yemen and Mozambique in the aggregate amount of 100,000 dollars.

Thus, Zagreb is going to send 50,000 dollars to Yemen through the UN Fund for Children and the relief assistance is going to be used to alleviate the impact of the armed conflict on children in that southwestern Asian country.

The sum of 25,000 dollars will be sent through the World Health Organization to Iran after this country was hit by floods in March and April this year.

Zagreb is going to pay 25,000 dollars to Mozambique through the World Food Programme, in a bid to help alleviate the consequences of the devastating cyclone earlier this year.

Foreign and European Affairs Minister Gordan Grlić Radman told the cabinet that providing this relief assistance was in compliance with Croatia's multilateral engagement.

More foreign policy news can be found in the Politics section.

September 25, 2019 - Varaždin has a rich musical tradition, and it also produces some rather unusual firsts on occasion, such as piano teacher Janja Knapić's recent trip to Iran. 

A lovely little story from a recent meeting I had in Varaždin, retold by the person who told me about it. 

Janja Knapić, a piano teacher at The Varaždin School of Music wrote a part of cultural history of Iran this July. It’s a bit unusual for this distant and mysterious country to have women conduct their choirs, let alone a foreign woman.

This versatile musician coached members of the mixed Tonal choir from Tehran to perform Croatian compositions that the audience enjoyed at a concert that took place on July 18th and 19th in Roudaki Hall, Tehran. It has undoubtedly been a challenge for Janja,  who otherwise conducts multiple vocal groups in her homeland.

She leads the Academic choir of FOI University, Varaždin whose members she claims to be exceptionally proud of, since they are progressing nicely. There’s also her unique project called “Vocal Popular Music Ensemble of the Varaždin School of Music”, that she was even able to turn into a school subject. The ensemble gets quite admirable results as well. 

To date, she contributed to two international “Ars choralis” courseology symposia in Zagreb, organized by the Croatian Choral Directors Association, where she was able to meet many colleague lecturers. It was right there that she met Iranian maestro – Milad Omranloo, with whom she realized a collaboration this year. Omranloo liked the way she worked with choirs, and since his Tonal choir needed professional assistance, they mutually agreed on holding a concert in Iran.

Knapić had this idea that it would be interesting if the Iranian audience was presented with Croatian music and its’ composers, so a part of her program was based on that idea. Her tasks in Tehran were first and foremost rehearsals with Tonal Choir, and she had that privilege to conduct half of the concert’s repertoire. She recorded pronunciation of the words that she shared with the choir members, and they quickly got the hang of them.

Apart from the choir rehearsals, at the host’s request she held some master classes as a vocal coach.After the group vocal master class, there was a lot of interest for individual singing and piano playing master class. In the end, it came to even 18 individual class attendees.Upon her arrival to Iran, she was also invited by the Croatian Embassy in the Islamic Republic of Iran. It was followed by a meeting at the Embassy, whose personnel dearly accepted the invitation to concert.

Among other compositions, there are two worth mentioning: “Letovanić” and “Moja diridika” that utilize unique folklore way of singing, otherwise unused in Iranian choir singing.

ZAGREB, May 10, 2018 - Croatia regrets the withdrawal of the United States from the agreement on Iran's nuclear programme, but remains committed, together with its partners in the European Union, to honouring the agreement and expects Iran to continue implementing and meeting all the obligations under the agreement, the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs said in a statement on Wednesday.

ZAGREB, May 8, 2018 - The potential for economic cooperation between Croatia and Iran exists in the oil, gas, electric and energy sectors, shipbuilding, railways, the food industry and tourism, it was said at the Iranian-Croatian business forum in Tehran on Tuesday, the Croatian Chamber of Commerce (HGK) said in a press release. The forum was held as part of Croatian Economy Minister Martina Dalić's visit to Iran.

ZAGREB, May 7, 2018 - Croatia's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy, Entrepreneurship and Crafts Martina Dalić, who is on an official visit to Iran from May 5 to 8, has met with officials of the country to discuss ways of strengthening bilateral economic cooperation with special emphasis on establishing payment operations, the Economy Ministry said in a press release on Monday.

ZAGREB, May 5, 2018 - Croatia's Deputy Prime Minister and Economy Minister Martina Dalić will pay an official visit to Iran on 5-9 May, at the invitation of her Iranian counterpart Masoud Karbasian, Croatia's economy ministry stated on Friday.

Serbia’s visa-free regime with Iran turns migrants into “tourists.”