"You have always been there for us, also when it was the hardest for Croatia, and I thank you for that," she told them at the residence of the Croatian ambassador to Switzerland in Muri bei Bern.
The meeting with Croatian expatriates was organised on the occasion of Croatia's Statehood Day. Earlier in the day, the president met with the heads of the Croatian Catholic Mission in Switzerland.
"Croatian emigrants, especially in the Homeland War, provided not just material aid but also moral and political support, which was necessary so that foreign countries would recognise us as a state with the right to exist," the president said.
"We have convinced foreigners of how beautiful Croatia is. Now we have to convince the world, first and foremost our emigrants, of how good Croatia is to live in. My branding project, as well as the demography project, is aimed at making Croatia a country befitting man," she added.
One of the demography measures is to strengthen ties with expatriates and facilitate their contact with the homeland, "with their return being the goal," the president said.
She reiterated that "Croatia can stand side by side with the most developed countries and there is no reason why it shouldn't be so."
"We have all the resources. We are much richer in terms of resources than many countries, including Switzerland... We just need organisation, a work ethic, mutual respect, faith in the state, family, community, in God and all the values which make a society noble," the president said.