President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s visit to Croatia on Thursday has further deepened the bilateral relations and strengthened the economies of the two countries.
Croatia marked Erdoğan’s last stop on a three-day tour of the Balkans that took him earlier this week to Bosnia-Herzegovina and then Serbia.
Türkiye and Croatia are allies with "deep-rooted" historical and cultural ties, although the countries do not share common borders, Erdoğan told a news conference alongside his Croatian counterpart Zoran Milanovic in the capital Zagreb.
"Our bilateral trade volume surpassed the pre-pandemic level and reached $900 million (TL 16.4 billion), recovering strongly last year," he said, stressing that they want to double the figure in the coming period and then exceed $5 billion.
Local shopkeeper Daniela Spajic said she thinks the Turkish leader’s visit would have a positive impact, especially on relations between Croats and Muslims.
"They (Muslims) are our friends and neighbors, and the Turkish people are among our friends. Tourism or similar commercial investments from Türkiye will be good for the region," Spajic told Anadolu Agency.
Türkiye was among the first countries to recognize Croatia’s independence when it was declared in 1991.
"Türkiye, as a regional country, closely observes all the developments unfolding in the Balkans and continues to make the necessary contributions accordingly," he added.
Milanovic, for his part, said Ankara and Zagreb enjoy the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations. He added that Türkiye stood with Croatia during difficult times in 1991.
Milanovic said the current trade volume between the two countries is low, but they are determined to increase it. He also hailed the Turkish companies investing in Croatia.
Retired professor Zvonimir Tadic said he believes the visit will benefit Croatia, and mentioned Erdoğan’s trip to Sisak, a city some 57 kilometers (35 miles) southeast of the capital Zagreb, where the Turkish leader inaugurated a mosque on Thursday.
Tadic stressed Erdoğan is a leader "who regularly meets with both (Russian President Vladimir) Putin and top Western political leaders. This is very good because on this occasion, both Croatia and Sisak will be heard once again."
"I hope that the mosque in Sisak will bring peace and unity to that region, where Christians and Muslims live together," he added.
Turkish investments in Croatia
Ivo Vrljic, who fought in the Croatian War of Independence (1992-95), also recalled how Türkiye supported Croatia’s path to independence.
"(Then-Turkish President) Süleyman Demirel is among the rare leaders who visited Croatia at that time (of the war). I think the support and cooperation between Türkiye and Croatia are important," said Vrljic.
"Türkiye is a large, economically strong country, and I believe economic relations will become even stronger after President Erdoğan’s visit. This is also of great importance for the Croatian economy and businesspeople," he added.
Zagreb native Ivor Novak said he agreed that the Turkish leader’s visit carries great importance for his country, adding that Turkish businesspeople accompanying his visit would open new doors in the countries’ economic ties.
"We should try to strengthen friendly commercial relations between the two countries. I have a very close Turkish friend who moved to Croatia two years ago. He works for different companies, especially companies from Türkiye," Novak said.
"Turkish investments in Croatia are very important. There are much more of those investments than most people know."