Peres, the highest Israeli official after President Moshe Katsav to visit Croatia, started a two-day visit to Croatia during which he is expected to meet Croatia's top officials and visit the southern city of Split.
Croatia is emerging in the Balkans, from Yugoslavia, from a very complicated past, into the united Europe, Peres said, adding that Croatia was developing into a modern country based on science and technology, with an impressive economic growth.
Relations between Croatia and Israel are excellent and both governments are interested in those relations developing into something serious and important, the Israeli official said.
"The region belongs to the past, you still have the names, the memories, the conflicts, but in a short while, it will disappear... and all of you will have to work together," Peres said speaking of the situation in Southeast Europe.
Croatia will soon join the EU and other international organisations, and so will its neighbours, because nobody can remain alone, he said.
History is becoming less and less important, because it belongs to a world that does not exist any more. The world today is becoming united economically and everything depends on science and technology that know no boundaries, the Israeli official said.
Speaking of possibilities for a peace agreement in the Middle East, Peres said he believed that Israel had depended too much on diplomacy and strategy in the past and not enough on economy.
We need peace, peace is more important than the election victory. We will continue to try and negotiate to achieve peace, he said.
Croatia's Science Minister Dragan Primorac, who attended the news conference, announced a new project regarding scientific cooperation between Israel and Croatia, signed after two-year negotiations.
The first, one million dollar project is about to start, Israel's know-how will be used by Croatia and Israeli and Croatian scientists will work together on the development of new technologies to result in patents that will be used by both countries, the minister said.