Josipovic and Peres met on the fringes of the Facing Tomorrow 2012 conference, which is being held under the auspices of the Israeli head of state in Jerusalem.

In the past, big countries had assessed small countries by numbers. Today, a small country can be big if it manages to mobilise a majority of its people, Peres said. Both presidents underlined the importance of education and science for the future of the country and security of future generations, with Josipovic adding that he was impressed by what Israel had done on that front.

Both of our countries succeeded owing to their peoples and I believe that leaders must bring out the best in their people in order to develop their potential the best possible way, Peres said. Croatia and Israel have a long history which had its ups and downs, but now we are starting over, the Israeli president said.

"I agree that the greatest value a country can have is its people, as well as knowledge, education and science which have a global importance," Josipovic said. "We are deeply touched by your friendship, your personal friendship as well as by the friendship of the Israeli people and I hope we will succeed to additionally advance our cooperation," the Croatian president said.

"We are aware of our history, but we believe we can move on together," Josipovic said thanking Peres for inviting him to take part in the conference.¸.

Josipovic also took part in a panel debate, organised as part of the Facing Tomorrow 2012 conference where he answered questions about Croatia, the crisis in Europe, the future of the European Union and about himself.

"Croatia is a specific country which is building its democracy and after 20 years the public wanted somebody who can offer something different," Josipovic said responding to a question about his path from being a law professor and a composer to becoming president.

Josipovic also spoke about corruption in Croatia, stressing that the country has a zero tolerance for corruption policy.