IRISH-CROATIAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE ESTABLISHED IN ZAGREB

ZAGREB, Sept 13 (Hina) - An Irish-Croatian Chamber of Commerce was established in Zagreb on Friday to promote economic cooperation between the two countries. The chamber will be based in Dublin. "The establishment of the joint chamber of commerce is the first step Croatia does when it wants to improve its economic ties with a certain country," Croatian Chamber of Commerce president Nadan Vidosevic said. Vidosevic said that he was unhappy with the current level of trade between Croatia and Ireland. In 1995, Croatia's export to Ireland totalled USD 16.2 million while its import reached USD 16.6 million. In the first half of this year a decrease in trade was registered at Croatian expense. The president of the Irish-Croatian Chamber of Commerce, Dan McGing, said that Ireland showed a particular interest in the import of Croatian wines and timber. He added that the Irish delegation, on a visit from 11 to 15 September, would visit the southern Adriatic cities of Split and Dubrovnik this weekend to examine the possibilities of investment in the tourist industry. McGing stressed that the two countries were linked by many similarities and that Ireland was doing all it could to help Croatia in its development stage. Srebrenka Matesic was appointed representative of the Irish- Croatian Chamber of Commerce in Croatia. (hina) vm 131800 MET sep 96