Croatia's president Ivo Josipovic, who held talks with Qatar Emir Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani in Doha on Monday, said "there are very good prospects for cooperation between Croatia and Qatar in the construction of a liquefied natural gas terminal" on the northern Adriatic island of Krk.
Josipovic, who was at the helm of Croatia's delegation on an official visit to this Persian Gulf country, said that the talks with his host focused on "the renewal of the relations between Croatia and Qatar after they have been stagnant for the last ten years".
"We also talked about our political cooperation... but currently, talks about economic cooperation are of utter importance for us," Josipovic said adding that the plans for the Krk LNG terminal ware the focal point of the talks.
Serious interest was expressed by the Qatari side, the Croatian president said after he was received in Amiri Diwan, the Emir's palace in Doha for his talks with the Qatar head of state, Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani.
"The talks on that project which were launched some ten years ago, failed then and we were at fault. Our state leadership failed to reach agreement on that matter, but now we have full agreement," the Croatian president said adding that the Doha talks had also revolved around the causes of the failure to carry out projects in the past.
Asked by reporters how the project stands now, Josipovic said that the prospects for the future LNG terminal in Krk "are very good".
"The Emir and his delegation are interested in the pace and cost-effectiveness of the entire project," he added.
Josipovic said that Croatian Deputy Prime Minister Radimir Cacic and other members of the visiting Croatian delegation provided their hosts with a detailed explanation of general aspects of this projects, including cooperation with European union member-states and potential buyers of the LNG provisions.
"I think that the impression is very good," Josipovic added.
The Croatian guests and their hosts also discussed potential for cooperation in the food, manufacturing and defence sectors.
"I am sure that a successful economic cooperation is ahead of us if we manage to show persistence and seriousness," Josipovic said.
It has been announced that a Qatari military delegation may arrive in Croatia soon to resume talks on deepening bilateral military cooperation.
A Qatar-Croatia economic forum will be held on Tuesday.
On Sunday, President Josipovic opened a Croatian embassy in Doha, the first Croatian embassy in a Persian Gulf country.
Earlier this year, a Croatia-Qatar association was set up in Zagreb, with the aim of promoting closer ties between the two nations. Qatar Airways has recently introduced a service between Zagreb and Doha on a regular daily basis.
