ZAGREB, March 19, 2018 - Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović was the first Western leader on Monday to congratulate Vladimir Putin on his re-election as President of the Russian Federation.

There are good conditions and good prospects for promoting and strengthening the relationship between the Republic of Croatia and the Russian Federation, which are also bound by strong historical ties, the Croatian president said in her message.

Grabar-Kitarović expressed confidence that the good prospects would be used for fruitful cooperation in many areas for the benefit of the citizens of the two countries. She said that there was a strong potential to further increase the economic cooperation.

According to the BBC and AFP, the presidents of China, Kazakhstan, Belarus, Cuba, Venezuela and Serbia have also sent their best wishes to Putin, while no Western leaders have commented on his victory.

Grabar-Kitarović paid an official visit to Russia last year, expressing hope that Putin would be able to visit Croatia in the near future.