Croatian Foreign Minister Gordan Jandrokovic, who was on an official visit to Korea on Tuesday, gave an interview to the South Korean newspaper The Korea Times, calling for the strengthening of relations between the two countries, notably in the economy.
"Korea has signed a free trade agreement with the EU. When Croatia joins the EU, it will open the door for trade exchanges with Korea," Jandrokovic said.
Korea signed a free trade agreement with the EU in 2009 and the agreement is expected to be ratified.
"We are expecting to finish negotiations in the first half of 2011, which means that during 2012 we will become a full member (of the EU)," said the minister.
In 2012, Croatia and Korea will mark the 20th anniversary of their diplomatic relations.
Jandrokovic said that opening a Croatian Embassy in Seoul was one of his government's priorities because South Korea is now covered by the Croatian Embassy in Japan.
Speaking of Croatian shipyards, Jandrokovic called on Korean companies to invest in them.
He also said that Croatia was interested in promoting its cooperation with Korea in the tourism sector.
