ZAGREB, May 30, 2018 - Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović, who is on an official visit to Italy, told the Croatian community in that country that they represented a demographic treasure for Croatia and expressed hope they would return to their homeland one day, with experience and knowledge they gained in countries that are functioning normally, even after their governments are toppled.
"We want you to actively contribute to the life in the homeland. You are a great demographic treasure for Croatia," the president said on Tuesday evening in the Croatian Embassy in Rome where she met representatives of the Croat community in Italy.
"We hope that these young people, these children I saw today, would come back to Croatia one day, with experience, knowledge and habits they gained in countries like Italy and other countries that can continue to function well even if their government is toppled because they have a professional state administration which does not depend exclusively on politics but primarily has state interests in mind, " the president said. This must be one of the fundamental priorities in our country as well," she added.
According to estimates, there are 60,000 Croats living in Italy.
