She also attended the signing of a cooperation agreement between that university and the Zagreb School of Economics and Management, and gave a talk on new trends in global economy, saying she was pleased to be speaking at one of the biggest and most prestigious universities in Russia.
Her talk focused on globalisation and free trade trends, isolationism, traditional and modern industries, and possibilities of strengthening Croatia-Russia cooperation.
She said there was only one path to take in today's inter-dependent world, the one opposite to isolationism and protectionism, the path of cooperation, building bridges, eliminating obstacles to international trade, and promoting projects and initiatives that benefitted every stakeholder.
She said more attention should be paid to the creation of innovative services and high added value products as the only way to compete for the most developed positions globally. That's why Croatia and 11 Central European member states of the European Union have launched the Three Seas Initiative, which aims to better connect those countries, whose ties have been neglected, she added.
The Initiative is open for cooperation with all other states, and many third states such as China, other EU members and the US have already expressed the desire and willingness to join in the Initiative's projects, she said.
Why wouldn't Russia be among them, Grabar-Kitarovic asked, adding that this Initiative was for the cohesion of Central Europe and the EU as a whole, and not against.
The Initiative's starting platform comprises 150 energy, transport infrastructure and digitisation projects worth over EUR 45 billion and this is where Russia and the states participating in the Initiative as well as Russia and Croatia can achieve a high level of synergy, she said.
The joint development of digitisation projects and cooperation between education institutions and joint work in research and development, innovations and modern economy business ventures provide a chance to achieve those economic goals, she added.
I invite you to join in our projects so that together we can use the opportunities before us and take our place among those most developed, Grabar-Kitarovic told students, adding that lasting education was crucial for their future.
Later today, she is travelling to Saint Petersburg, the last stop of her three-day official visit to Russia, during which she visited Moscow and Sochi.