Mikhail Saakashvili arrived in Croatia today for a working visit during which he was received by his counterpart Stjepan Mesic, who said that Croatian business people might take part in major infrastructure works in Georgia in the near future.
"Georgia is getting ready for major infrastructure ventures. This is definitely something in which we can offer experience and cooperation," said the Croatian president.
Possibilities for economic cooperation are great and I am appealing to Croatian business people, notably construction companies, to take part in the infrastructure projects being prepared in Georgia, said Saakashvili.
He went on to say that Croatia was a model for Georgia as a transition country which after the war was successfully integrating into Euro-Atlantic structures. Croatia is already a member of the NATO Membership Action Plan and Georgia hopes to become one this year. This is why the Georgian Defence Ministry is sending a team of experts to Croatia so that we could learn of Croatia's progress in this field, he said.
Mesic and Saakashvili met in Astana in January at the inauguration of Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbayev.
The two concluded on that occasion that economic cooperation between Croatia and Georgia was not satisfactory despite interest and potential on both sides.
Mesic said then there were no fundamental agreements between the two countries which would facilitate economic cooperation.
Trade between the two countries significantly oscillates from year to year. Foreign policy contacts between the two sides have been very rare.