The embassy should improve business and political links between Croatia and Kuwait.

Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović officially opened the Croatian Embassy in Kuwait on Monday. She said that her two-day state visit to the oil-rich Persian Gulf emirate was very useful for the development of relations between the two countries, especially economic, reports Večernji List on February 6, 2017.

President visited Kuwait accompanied by a delegation of Croatian businesspeople, and during the first day of her visit she met with the Kuwaiti head of state Emir Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah and other top state officials. “I believe that this visit was extremely useful in the sense that it seems to me that the Kuwaitis might have started to see Croatia in a different light. I am optimistic and believe that this visit will yield further business deals between Croatian and Kuwaiti companies”, said Grabar-Kitarović at the end of her visit.

President said that the opening of the Croatian Embassy in Kuwait was very important. The opening was also attended by Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah. “It is extremely important to have an embassy in this part of the world. I saw in these last two days what possibilities exist for the development of business relations between Croatia and Kuwait and this part of the world”, said Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović. “I am very pleased that the Foreign Minister told me that they had a session of the government this morning and that they had already discussed the results of our visit.”

She pointed out that it was important not just to sign contracts that will facilitate business ties, but also to “encourage concrete projects that we have discussed here, especially regarding tenders to which Croatian companies have applied”. “I am pleased that I was accompanied by businesspeople who had the opportunity not just to attend some of the meetings with officials here in Kuwait, but were able to speak directly with their Chamber of Economy”, said the President.

In addition to the President, the official state delegation included Deputy Prime Minister and Economy Minister Martina Dalić, Chief of Staff of Croatian Armed Forces General Mirko Šundov and president of the Islamic Community in Croatia Mufti Aziz Hasanović. The economic delegation, whose visit was organized by the Croatian Chamber of Economy, included representatives of Brodotrogir, Alan, Đuro Đaković, HS Produkt, and the Croatian National Tourist Board.

Kuwait has about 4.2 million residents, but foreigners represent almost 70 percent of the population, including about a million Arabs and almost 1.5 million citizens from Asian and African countries who came to Kuwait in search of work. Kuwait is one of the richest countries in the world, and its wealth is based on oil. It is estimated that, despite the exploitation activities in the last several decades, Kuwait still has the sixth-largest oil reserves in the world. Oil revenues account for about 50 percent of gross domestic product.

Kuwait is a constitutional monarchy and is considered one of the most stable Arab countries. As an influential member of the Gulf Cooperation Council, as well as a country in which a large Shiite minority lives, in recent years it has played an important role in mediating between rival regional powers Iran and Saudi Arabia.