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India and Croatia are connected by shared values such as democracy, rule of law, pluralism, and equality: PM Modi

Published By : Admin | June 18, 2025 | 21:56 IST

Your Excellency, Prime Minister,
Delegates from both countries,
Friends from the media,
Namaskaar!
Dobar dan!

I extend my heartfelt gratitude to the Prime Minister and the Government of Croatia for the warmth, enthusiasm, and affection with which I have been received in the historic and beautiful city of Zagreb.

This is the first visit of any Indian Prime Minister to Croatia. I am fortunate to have have had this opportunity.

Friends,

India and Croatia are united by shared values such as democracy, the rule of law, pluralism, and equality. It is a happy coincidence that last year, the people of India entrusted me—and the people of Croatia entrusted Prime Minister Andrej Plenković with a third consecutive term in office. With this renewed public mandate, we are committed to tripling the momentum of our bilateral relations during this term.

A 'Defence Cooperation Plan' will be prepared for long-term cooperation in the defence sector, which will focus on training, military exchanges, and cooperation in the defence industry. Several areas where our economies complement each other have been identified and will be actively pursued.

We have decided to enhance cooperation in many areas to increase bilateral trade and create reliable supply chains. We will promote cooperation in many important areas such as Pharma, Agriculture, Information technology, Clean Technology, Digital technology, Renewable energy, and semiconductors.

We will strengthen cooperation in shipbuilding and cyber-security. Croatian companies have significant opportunities to participate in port modernization, coastal-zone development, and multi-modal connectivity initiatives under India’s Sagarmala project. We have also emphasized joint research and collaboration between our academic institutions and research centers. Additionally, India is committed to sharing its space expertise and experience with Croatia.

Friends,

Our centuries-old cultural ties form the foundation of our mutual affection and goodwill. In the 18th century, Ivan Filip Vezdin was the first to publish Sanskrit grammar in Europe. For the past 50 years, the Department of Indology has been actively functioning at the University of Zagreb.

Today, we have resolved to further strengthen our cultural and people-to-people ties. The term of the MoU for the Hindi Chair at the University of Zagreb has been extended until 2030, and a Cultural Exchange Programme has been outlined for the next five years.

To facilitate the movement of people, the Mobility Agreement will be finalized soon. Croatian companies will be able to benefit from India’s skilled IT manpower. We also discussed ways to enhance tourism between the two countries.

I have clearly experienced the popularity of Yoga here. With June 21 marking the International Day of Yoga, I am confident that, as always, the people of Croatia will celebrate the occasion with great enthusiasm.

Friends,

We agree that terrorism is an enemy of humanity, and is opposed to everyone who believes in democratic forces. We are deeply grateful to the Prime Minister and the Government of Croatia for their expression of solidarity following the terrorist attack in India on April 22. In such difficult times, the support of our friends holds immense value for us.

We both agree that in today’s global environment, the partnership between India and Europe holds great significance. Croatia’s support and cooperation are extremely important in strengthening our strategic partnership with the European Union.

We both firmly believe that whether in Europe or Asia, solutions cannot be found on the battlefield. Dialogue and diplomacy is the only viable path forward. It is essential to respect the territorial integrity and sovereignty of every nation.

Friends,

Being here today at 'Banski Dvori' is a special moment for me. It is in this very place that Sakcinski delivered his historic speech in the Croatian language, and today, I feel a sense of pride and contentment in expressing my thoughts in Hindi. He rightly said, 'Language is a bridge,' and today, we are strengthening that bridge.

Once again, I express my heartfelt gratitude to the Prime Minister for the warm and gracious hospitality extended to us during our visit to Croatia. Prime Minister,I also look forward to welcoming you to India soon.

My sincere thanks to all of you.

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PM chairs CCS Meeting to review measures being taken in the context of ongoing West Asia Conflict
April 01, 2026
Interventions across agriculture, fertilizers, shipping, aviation, logistics and MSMEs to mitigate emerging challenges discussed
Supply diversification for LPG and LNG, fuel duty reduction and power sector measures reviewed to ensure stability of essential supplies
Steps being taken to ensure stable prices of essential commodities and strict action against hoarding and black-marketing
Control Rooms set up for constant monitoring and interaction with States/UTs on prices and enforcement of Essential Commodities Act
Various efforts being taken to ensure fertilizer supply such as maintaining Urea Production and coordination with overseas suppliers for DAP/NPKS supplies
PM assesses availability of critical needs for the common man
PM discusses availability of fertilisers in the country and steps being taken to ensure its availability in the Kharif and Rabi seasons
PM directs that all efforts must be made to safeguard the citizens from the impact of this conflict
PM underlines the need for timely & smooth flow of authentic information to the public to prevent misinformation and rumour mongering
Enough coal stock exists which shall serve power needs adequately in coming months

Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi a special of the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) to review measures taken by various Ministries/Departments and also discussed further initiatives to be taken in the context of the ongoing West Asia conflict, at 7 Lok Kalyan Marg today. This was the second special CCS meeting on this issue.

Cabinet Secretary briefed about the action taken to ensure supply of petroleum products, particularly LNG/LPG, and sufficient power availability. Sources are being diversified for procurement of LPG with new inflows from different countries. Similarly, Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) is being sourced from different countries. He further briefed that LPG prices for domestic consumers have remained the same and Anti-diversion enforcement to curb hoarding and black marketing of LPG is being conducted regularly.

Initiatives have also been taken to expand Piped Natural Gas connections. Measures like exempting the gas-based power plants with a capacity of 7-8 GW from gas pooling mechanism and increasing of rake for positioning more coal at thermal power stations etc. have also been taken to ensure availability of power during the peak summer months.

Further, interventions proposed to be taken for emerging challenges in various other sectors such as agriculture, civil aviation, shipping and logistics were also discussed.

Various efforts like maintaining urea production to meet requirements, coordinating with overseas supplies for DAP/NPKS suppliers are being taken to ensure fertilizer supply. State governments are being requested to curb black marketing, hoarding, and diversion of fertilizers through daily monitoring, raids, and strict action.

The retail prices of food commodities have been stable over the past one month. Control Rooms have been set up for constant monitoring and interaction with States/UTs on prices and enforcement of Essential Commodities Act. The prices of agricultural products , vegetables and fruits are also being monitored.

Efforts to globally diversify our sources for energy, fertilizers and other supply chains, and international initiatives for securing safe passage of vessels through the strait of Hormuz and ongoing diplomatic efforts are being taken.

Enhanced coordination, real-time communication, and proactive measures across central, state, and district levels to drive effective information dissemination and public awareness amid the evolving crisis is being undertaken.

Prime Minister assessed the availability of critical needs for the common man. He discussed availability of fertilisers in the country and steps being taken to ensure its availability in the Kharif and Rabi seasons. He said that all efforts must be made to safeguard the citizens from the impact of this conflict. Prime Minister also emphasised smooth flow of authentic information to the public to prevent misinformation and rumour mongering.

Prime Minister directed all concerned departments to take all possible measures to ameliorate the problems of citizens and sectors affected by the ongoing global situation.