ZAGREB, September 11, 2019 - Croatia's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior, Davor Božinović, met with Israel’s Minister for Regional Cooperation Tzachi Hanegbi during his visit to Tel Aviv. Božinović said he is pleased that with this meeting Croatia and Israel have further deepened their mutual understanding and that both Israel and Croatia are trying to play a constructive role in their respective regions.

"I am certain that these talks and contacts that we have with Israel will produce a higher level of our bilateral relations to the benefit of the citizens of the two countries," Božinović said.

Hanegbi told Hina he was happy to meet Božinović and contribute to the friendly relationship between Israel and Croatia, adding: "We share the same goals, we share the same vision, and we will keep working together to enhance our friendship and our cooperation."

The two ministers discussed challenges the two countries are facing in developing constructive relations with their respective neighbours. Israel is striving to change the perception of it by its Arab neighbours while Croatia is dealing with unresolved issues stemming from the breakup of Yugoslavia and migration while at the same time supporting the countries of Southeast Europe on their way to EU and NATO membership.

On Wednesday, Božinović is scheduled to visit the Holocaust Museum and meet with Foreign Ministry officials and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's national security adviser.

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

ZAGREB, September 10, 2019 - Opening a conference at the International Institute for Counter-Terrorism (ICT) in Tel Aviv on Tuesday, Croatia's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior Davor Božinović said that terrorism was one of the greatest security threats and that there were not many indications that the situation would change any time soon.

All the more so because terrorist groups and their ideologists have demonstrated an exceptional ability in embracing new trends on social networks and technology, he added.

"Empowered by the internet and social media, terrorist groups have managed to attract new followers and encourage individual terrorist acts in seemingly distant locations. Recently both right-wing and left-wing extremists have used similar digital platforms," Božinović said in his address at the conference called "Terrorism 2020: Understand the Present, Prepare for the Future."

Božinović signed a cooperation agreement with ICT's executive director Boaz Ganor which will enable Croatian police officers to participate in innovative training programmes in the field of homeland security and in combating terrorism.

In a statement to Hina, Ganor said he was very proud that he had signed the agreement with the Croatian Ministry of the Interior.

We all here believe that this is a growing global phenomenon that we can oppose only through international cooperation, said Ganor.

Božinović told Hina that he was honoured with the fact that he was able to open the conference that has gathered more than 1,000 experts from 60 countries. "I am certain that this agreement reflects our common values, above all, democracy and our readiness to defend them from contemporary challenges with terrorism being very high on the agenda," said Božinović.

During his visit to Israel, Božinović will be accompanied by Croatia's Ambassador Vesela Mrđen Korać during a meeting with Minister of Public Security, Strategic Affairs and Information Gilard Erdan and Minister of Regional Cooperation Tzachi Hanegbi.

Božinović said that the EU is particularly concerned lately because of the influence of terrorist groups in radicalising citizens who even decide to go abroad to become terrorist fighters.

"Now, following ISIL's failure on the battlefield, focus is being shifted to returning fighters. Their number varies in European countries," Božinović said, adding that an estimated 5,000 fighters have returned to the EU from Syria and Iraq.

Europe is struggling with ethno-nationalist and separatist terrorist groups but also with right-wing extremists who have exploited public concern over the perception of excessive migration trends in Europe, said Božinović.

That, however, has strengthened solidarity and improved cooperation between countries, he added.

Our intelligence agencies are exchanging information and working together like never before. In the meantime, we are witnessing more and more foiled terrorist plots, the minister said.

Božinović said that joint preventative operations include new directives and legislation, distribution of funds and more resources but also improved supervision of external borders, information exchange and cooperation between the private and public sectors. In particular, efforts to implement harsher laws throughout the EU which now cover a broad spectrum of terrorist acts.

As far as Southeast Europe is concerned, Božinović said that the region is particularly vulnerable even though there have not been any serious terrorist attacks there.

This is mostly due to ethnic tensions and unresolved political problems following the armed conflicts in the 1990s, migration routes across the Balkans to Western Europe, terrorists returning but also "external actors" who are trying to prevent countries in the region from joining the EU and NATO.

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

ZAGREB, July 30, 2019 - On Tuesday, the third day of her state visit to Israel, Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović attended in Haifa the naming ceremony of a catamaran built in Croatia and the signing of the International Sister Seaports Agreement between the Port of Rijeka and the Port of Haifa.

The catamaran is seven years old and was built in a private shipyard on Korčula island.

The agreement between the two seaports was signed by the temporary CEO of the Port of Rijeka, Duško Grabovac, and Haifa Port CEO Mandi Zatzman.

I am convinced that this agreement, which is a reflection of the friendship between two countries and the resoluteness to deepen economic relations, will contribute to strengthening our economic ties, the president said in her address.

The Rijeka port can become the Mediterranean gateway for Israeli goods and commodities to enter Central Europe, the Croatian side believes, and Grabar-Kitarović underscored that if it were to expand its terminals, Rijeka could truly become the entrance to the European Union, being the closest point from the Middle and the Far East.

With the shortest transit time, transport through the Port of Rijeka saves time and energy, she underscored. "Therefore, I hope that the Port of Rijeka will become a point of entry for Israeli products into the European Union,” the president remarked.

Trade between Croatia and Israel is one of my priorities, she underscored.

She congratulated all those who were involved in the catamaran project and recalled the words of George William Curtis, "It is not the ship so much as the skilful sailing that assures the prosperous voyage."

I wish you a favourable wind and a calm sea, she added.

In her address, Grabar-Kitarović underscored the historical ties between the two cities on the coast, when Rijeka rescued Jews who were fleeing from the Holocaust and sailing toward their promised land.

Israel's hosts expressed their satisfaction with the signed agreement and assessed that this was an exciting moment in cooperation between the two countries. They also recalled that Jewish immigrants sailed from Rijeka to Israel on the "Draga" ship in 1938.

Numerous ships carrying Jews travelled across the Adriatic to their new land and the years between 1937 and 1949 were especially significant, Zatzman said, adding that the history of Susak is written into the history of Israel.

Croatia's Economy Minister Darko Horvat said that the catamaran was one of those projects that are created in small shipyards in Croatia and become an export product.

Putting ourselves at the disposal of buyers is an honour and a pleasure. Despite all those problems that Croatia's shipbuilding is experiencing, this is proof that building ships in Croatia can survive on a market basis, he said.

He added that this does not refer to ships that used to be built in the Uljanik and 3. Maj docks, but that Croatia has to find its niche for which it can find a market.

Croatian shipbuilding has to take on a new philosophy, Horvat believes.

Horvat confirmed that Croatia is not satisfied with the level of trade between the two countries.

We have trade valued at €60 million with Albania and €60 million with Israel which can by no means be satisfactory, he said and announced two conferences that will be held in Zagreb and Tel Aviv.

An innovation conference will be held in Zagreb in late September that business associations from Israel will attend and that will be followed by a conference in Tel Aviv.

Trade with Israel in 2018 amounted to €53.3 million, which is a fall of 18.8% compared to 2017 when it amounted to €65.7 million. Croatian exports to Israel amounted to €28.5 million (-44.5%) while imports from Israel amounted to €24.8 million (+73.6%).

In 2018, 68,238 tourists from Israel visited Croatia, which is an increase of 13.5% compared to 2017 and they generated 179,112 bed nights (+18.4%).

Israel's EL AL airline has a regular charter line to Zagreb, four times a week, that is operational from 3 June to 21 October.

During talks with President Reuven Rivlin, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israel's Foreign Minister Yisrael Katz, Grabar-Kitarović underscored the importance of establishing direct Tel Aviv-Zagreb flights as and additional boost for successful business between companies in the two countries.

Having in mind the growing number of Israeli tourists in Croatia and the strong interest of Croatian citizens to visit the Holy Land, Croatia believes that regular Zagreb-Tel Aviv flights would strongly contribute to firmer connections between the two countries, people and companies.

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

ZAGREB, July 30, 2019 - Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović met In Jerusalem on Tuesday with Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and expressed her intention to raise relations between the two countries from a friendship to a strategic partnership.

My main interest is to raise the level of our relations from a friendship to a strategic partnership, the president said after a tete-a-tete with Netanyahu.

The two countries share common interests in security, defence and economy, she underscored.

In the context of common security threats, she assessed that it was important for the two countries to jointly care about Europe and the Mediterranean and that cooperation and the common fight against challenges such as terrorism and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction were the most important for the security of our peoples.

Reacting to the fact that antisemitism was growing again in Europe, she said in the first half of 2020, Israel would not only have a friend at the helm of the European Union but that Croatia would work on nurturing the remembrance of the Holocaust and combating antisemitism. Grabar-Kitarović announced an exhibition in New York on Croatian Righteous among the Nations and other activities such as seminars in Croatia, Serbia, in the region and in the European Union.

Last but not least, I believe that we have to bring the attention of Europe and the USA to the situation in our respective regions, she said.

She recalled that problems turn into disputes and unfortunately they do so very quickly.

We can do a lot of good but we can also sink into chaos. As such we have to monitor what is going on around us and as far as Croatia is concerned, we will help neighbouring countries - Bosnia and Herzegovina and Macedonia - to come under the wing of the European Union, she underlined.

Grabar-Kitarović thanked Netanyahu for extending his condolences for Josip Briški, a Croatian soldier who was killed last week in a suicide attack in Kabul.

We had a lot of casualties in the 1990s when Croatia was the victim of aggression and war and as such, I hope that we will strengthen our cooperation in defence, security and the exchange of intelligence, as well as in many other areas such as innovation, agriculture and irrigation, she added. She congratulated Israel as a country that is a global leader in innovation.

The Croatian president announced a visit of a business delegation this year and stressed the importance of a memorandum of understanding that will be signed on Tuesday between the Port of Haifa and the Port of Rijeka.

After expressing his condolences over the death of the Croatian serviceman in Afghanistan, Netanyahu said that that event was an example of the common challenges the two countries were faced with.

Considering that Croatia will chair the Council of the EU, I think that will be an opportunity to send that message to all the peoples of Europe (...) and if it wants a bright future that is a particularly important message for Europe, he said.

He warned of the danger of radical Islam, saying that it wanted to return humanity to the darkest ages. I wanted to say to the Middle Ages, but they were progressive, he added.

According to Netanyahu, radical Islam isn't only embodied in Daesh (ISIL) but above all in Iran as a powerful and malicious force.

I will be very clear: Israel is on the front line of the battlefield against radical Islam. If Israel was not here the Middle East would fall into the hands of radical Islam. We are defending ourselves, we are defending the Middle East and by defending the Middle East we are defending Europe, Netanyahu said.

He thanked the president for her third visit to Israel and expressed hope that her fourth visit would be to "Eretz Israel".

I think that that is an indicator of friendship between two countries and that it reflects your stance toward Israel, he added.

He assessed that Croatia and Israel should work more on trade, which is low, and expressed hope that today's visit would be an inspiration for a stronger boost to economic relations.

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

ZAGREB, July 29, 2019 - Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović visited the Yad Vashem Holocaust Remembrance Centre in Jerusalem on Monday, expressing deep sorrow for the victims in Croatia, Europe and the world and saying that the Shoah, the tragedy of the Jewish people, would and must never be forgotten.

She also expressed sympathy with the victims' families and their descendants.

In the Hall of Remembrance, she lit the Eternal Flame in memory of the six million Jews killed in Nazi pogroms and camps during WWII, and laid a wreath at the slab beneath which are victims' ashes.

This was not the president's first visit to Yad Vashem. She said that every time she visited it, she was shaken by the tragedy of the Jewish people and the blackest hour of humankind.

As president of Croatia, a country founded on antifascism and the Homeland War, I'm especially proud of all the Croatian righteous among the nations and the many other Croats who, in the darkness of war and unspeakable crimes, were a symbol of light and courage, she said.

There are 115 Croatian righteous among the nations.

The tragedy of the Jewish people and the pain of the survivors are a lasting reminder that the values of humankind, peace and democracy must never be taken for granted, the president said.

May it not be forgotten so that it never happens again. Tikkun olam - let's be better, Grabar-Kitarović said.

She gave Yad Vashem director Dorit Novak a book by Esther Gitman, an American Jew from Sarajevo, about the Blessed Alojzije Stepinac, "Pillar of Human Rights".

Novak thanked Grabar-Kitarović for her commitment in recent years and advocacy of preserving the memory of, as she said, the six million cruelly killed souls.

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

ZAGREB, July 29, 2019 - President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović began a state visit to Israel on Sunday by meeting with Croatian Franciscans in Jerusalem and presenting them with the Charter of the Republic of Croatia for fostering the spiritual tradition of Christianity, looking after Croatian pilgrims and promoting Croatian identity.

She met with Fr. Siniša Srebrenović, who accepted the Charter, Fr. Francesco Patton, the Custodian of the Holy Land, and Fr. Marcelo Cichinelli, the Guardian of the Franciscan Monastery.

"It is my great pleasure to meet you here this evening, after visiting the Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre, which was allegedly last opened by a Croat, Fr. Bonifacije Drakolica. As President of Croatia, I am particularly proud of all Croatian Franciscans who, for the past seven centuries, together with their brethren from all over Europe, have been guarding Christ's tomb and looking after Christians in the Holy Land, and who have made an immeasurable contribution to the preservation of Croatian identity, language and culture," Grabar-Kitarović said.

She said that long was the list of Croatian Franciscans who had accomplished their spiritual and humanitarian mission in the Holy Land, working as scientists and writers of historical and religious publications and helping the sick and needy. She mentioned Fr. Drakolica who had led the renovation of the Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre in the mid-16th century.

Grabar-Kitarović said that the Franciscans' mission was evangelisation and living in brotherhood, poverty and solidarity. "These are the values that have been promoted for centuries by Croatian Franciscans from all provinces of Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina," she said.

The Croatian president begins the official part of her visit on Monday when she is due to meet with President Reuven Rivlin, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Speaker of the Knesset Yuli-Yoel Edelstein and Foreign Minister Israel Katz.

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

ZAGREB, July 26, 2019 - Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović is travelling to Israel on Sunday for a state visit during which she will meet with her host, President Reuven Rivlin, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Knesset Speaker Yuli-Yoel Edelstein and Foreign Minister Israel Katz for talks on many topics of common interest, from the economy to cooperation in security and defence.

This will be the first state visit by a Croatian president to Israel and is an indicator of the continuation of the partnership between the two countries as well as of Croatia's strategic commitment to a close cooperation with this, as Ambassador Ilan Mor recalls, geographically and geostrategically isolated Middle Eastern state.

President Rivlin paid a two-day state visit to Croatia a year ago, while President Grabar-Kitarović met with PM Netanyahu in Jerusalem in 2015.

Monday is reserved for talks with the state leadership and a visit the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial, which the Croatian president already visited in July 2015 during a working visit to Israel. On that occasion she expressed deep sorrow for those killed in the Holocaust in Croatia under the WWII Ustasha regime, which she said "cast a stain on our country."

The two sides will renew a memorandum of cooperation in Holocaust research between Croatia's Science and Education Ministry and Education Agency and Yad Vashem.

On Tuesday, Grabar-Kitarović will visit the port of Haifa where she will inaugurate a catamaran built in Croatia. She will be accompanied by Croatian Economy Minister Darko Horvat and an executive of the Port of Rijeka. The two ports are scheduled to sign a cooperation agreement.

Although Croatia's attempt to buy Israeli fighter jets last year failed, there are indications that other elements from that deal are continuing, and negotiations are expected to continue on the construction of an ammunition factory in Croatia.

The Croatian president will also visit Nazareth on Tuesday.

She will wrap up her visit on Wednesday with a meeting on cyber security, on which the two countries will sign a cooperation agreement.

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

ZAGREB, June 28, 2019 - Israel's Ambassador in Croatia, Ilan Mor, said on Friday he believed the Jewish Community of Zagreb (ŽOZ) would manage to find a solution for the erection of a monument to Holocaust victims, noting that it was important that every country in which Jews had been killed, including Croatia, face its own history without trying to embellish it.

The ŽOZ recently condemned the decision by the Zagreb City Assembly to build a monument in tribute to the six million Jews killed in the Holocaust. The World Jewish Congress has joined it in denouncing the decision, saying that its purpose is to conceal the truth about the killings of Jews in the Ustasha-ruled Independent State of Croatia (NDH).

Mor said that although the idea to commemorate the Jews who perished in the Holocaust was always a positive sign, it was also important that every country in which Jews were murdered face its own history without trying to embellish it.

We need to look history in the eye and say that we are responsible. We must remember because the Jews in Croatia, Hungary and Poland were part of our society and were murdered by the Nazis and their collaborators, Mor told Hina.

He said that the Holocaust was an important and sensitive issue which the Jewish community in Zagreb had to deal with together with the authorities, adding that it was up to the Jewish community in Zagreb to find a solution to this issue and that he had no doubt that it would be found in consultation with Mayor Milan Bandić.

Mor said he appreciated the mayor's efforts over the years to commemorate the Holocaust as such and the Holocaust in Croatia.

We visited Jasenovac together, and no one should doubt his commitment to dealing with the past. How that will be done, I leave it to Mayor Bandić and the Jewish community and I am sure that they will find a proper solution, Mor said, adding that he would support ŽOZ president Ognjen Kraus's decision whatever it may be.

Mor stressed the importance of remembering that Croatian Jews were part of Croatian society, that they contributed a lot to Croatia's prosperity in the past and that they were murdered because of anti-Semitism.

Mor noted that the Holocaust did not start in Auschwitz or Jasenovac, but that it started with anti-Semitism. Anti-Semitism should be fought with education, and erecting monuments is part of that process, he concluded.

More news about the status of Jews in Croatia can be found in the Politics section.

ZAGREB, May 26, 2019 - A Croatian Canadair on Saturday helped to put out big fires in central Israel caused by a heat wave and temperatures which reached 47 degrees centigrade, and Ambassador Ilan Mor thanked Croatia on the assistance on behalf of his people.

The Croatian Defence Ministry said the aircraft was sent after the government granted Israel's request for assistance.

Mor said Croatia and its leadership had again confirmed that the two countries were good friends and that Israel could always count on Croatia.

According to Israeli firefighters, 3,000 people had to leave their homes and 45 houses burned down in hundreds of fires that erupted over the past three days, destroying houses, forests and crops. Aside from Croatia, foreign aid was provided by aircraft from Italy, Greece, Cyprus, and Egypt.

The engagement of Croatian forces shows solidarity and provides experience in flying internationally and in checking national and international procedures, which is important for maintaining readiness for engagement in the rescEU project and in case Croatia needs help in putting out fires from the air, the Defence Ministry said.

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

ZAGREB, May 11, 2019 - Croatia's Eurovision Song contestant Roko Blažević opened the Croatia Days event and sang in Hashmonaim Country Club in Tel Aviv on Friday, the Croatian Eurovision delegation said in a statement.

The cultural and sport event, running until May 18, was organised in cooperation with the Croatian Embassy in Israel.

"We wanted to show Roko and our delegation that Israelis are very warm. (...) We are also happy to have this opportunity to present Roko and Croatia to our hosts, and given the great response and excellent reactions, I think we can be satisfied," Ambassador Vesela Mrđen Korać told the HRT public broadcaster.

Blažević said he was pleased about the hosts' support and thanked other delegations that attended the event.

"I am delighted to see the youngest ones enjoying our songs, because that is precisely what (the Croatian Eurovision entry) The Dream is about, that true love and sincerity - which is exactly what the youngest ones, our angels, have - is the right way for us all," Blažević said.

He was joined by Eurovision entrants and delegations from Slovenia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Albania and Malta.

Those present were greeted by the director of Hashmonaim Country Club, Shimon Ben Eli, who was sporting a Croatian national football team jersey, and opening remarks were delivered by Giovanni Rosso, a Croatian-Israeli football and TV star.

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