Like Croatia, Canada was faced with many challenges in the light of the global economic climate and we feel that these meetings in Croatia will encourage and facilitate economic ties and the cultural exchange between our countries, he added.
Sprem said Croatia-Canada relations were good and friendly, increasingly intensive, but that economic relations were not. He said Croatia and Canada were partners and allies, "as confirmed by our close cooperation within NATO operations in Afghanistan."
Sprem said Croatia-Canada trade was about 50 million dollars, of which Canadian exports accounted for about two-thirds, more than twice below the amount recorded in 2010. "We established that there's lots of room for (economic cooperation) and that this will be discussed at the government."
He recalled that more than 250,000 Croats lived in Canada, saying they were "an important bridge between Canada and Croatia."
Scheer said Canada was made up of many peoples and that Croats, too, had contributed to its development. We hope that we can return the favour in some way and are looking forward to doing that, he added.