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Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic (2nd R) and Indian President Ram Nath Kovind (3rd R) inspect the guard of honor in Zagreb, capital of Croatia, on March 26, 2019. Croatia and India are interested in strengthening bilateral relations and intensifying economic cooperation, Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic and visiting Indian President Ram Nath Kovind agreed here on Tuesday. (Xinhua/Goran Stanzl)

ZAGREB, March 26 (Xinhua) -- Croatia and India are interested in strengthening bilateral relations and intensifying economic cooperation, Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic and visiting Indian President Ram Nath Kovind agreed here on Tuesday.

Accompanied by Indian businessmen who will attend the Croatian-Indian Business Forum on Wednesday, Ram Nath Kovind is the first Indian president who has come to visit Croatia since its independence.

Four agreements on co-operation were signed in Zagreb, two from the field of education and two from the field of tourism and sport.

President Kovind stressed that India gives great importance to relations with the European Union and that the Croatian EU Presidency in 2020 will be a framework for strengthening cooperation.

"The European Union is important on a global scale and should be an anchor of global security in a polarized world," the Indian president said.

Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic pointed out that Croatia took the responsibility to be a strong link in the energy connections of Central, Southern and Eastern Europe.

"I invite India to join the Rijeka Port project as an entry into Central and Eastern Europe and the free trade zone," the Croatian president said. She invited Indian businessmen to establish an Indian distribution center in Rijeka port.

President Kovind urged Croatian business people to invest in India and expressed satisfaction with the fact that 64,000 Indian tourists visit Croatia annually.