Croatia on Thursday committed its backing to India in its bid for a permanent membership in the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), saying “that considering India's overall development and growth of democracy, it was only logical for the country to have a prominent role in the world body.”
According to Secretary (West) in the Ministry of External Affairs Vivek Katju, this was conveyed by the Croatian leadership during their meeting with the visiting Vice-President, Hamid Ansari, here. Mr. Ansari is on a two-day visit.
“The Speaker of Croatia [Luka Bebic] remarked that as India is the world's largest democracy, considering India's all-round development and development of its democracy, it is important for the world to have India as the permanent membership of the UNSC and Croatia supports,” Mr. Katju told reporters here.
The official described Mr. Ansari's meeting with Croatian leadership as “warm.” Both the sides underscored the importance of this very first visit by an Indian VVIP to Croatia.
The purpose of the visit is to strengthen cooperation and explore new areas. Some of the areas identified for bilateral cooperation are science and technology, bio-science, physical science, information technology and environmental science.
Efforts in Afghanistan
During the meeting, Mr. Ansari exchanged views on Afghanistan and informed the Croatian leadership about what India was doing for the reconstruction of Afghanistan. The Croatian leaders appreciated India's efforts.
On his part, Mr. Ansari invited Croatian companies to participate in India's road construction activities since the Croats have an expertise in this area.
Mr. Katju said Croatia was an important country for India since it was a gateway to Central and Eastern Europe.
