Plenković meets Modi on first day of India visit

Prime Minister Andrej Plenković is on an official visit to India, where he was received on Wednesday by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

During his visit, Plenković is also participating in the fourth global AI Impact Summit, which has brought together more than 20 prime ministers and senior officials, along with executives from over 40 of the world’s leading technology companies.

In a post on X, Plenković said Croatia is “building excellent political relations with India, the world’s most populous country.” He noted that trade exchange between the two countries increased by 10 percent in the first 11 months of 2025 and identified further opportunities for cooperation in logistics and maritime transport, digital transformation, defence and security, as well as other sectors.

The Croatian prime minister said the two leaders discussed Croatia’s priorities as Chair of the Three Seas Initiative and the EUMED9 group, as well as its strategic role in the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor.

“India’s policies are focused on creating an India-Middle East-Europe economic transport corridor. The goal is for this corridor to end in the ports of the northern Adriatic - Rijeka, Koper and Trieste. Our readiness for this was one of my key messages to Prime Minister Modi,” Plenković said.

He stressed that Croatia is investing in the Port of Rijeka, highlighting the presence of global shipping giant A.P. Møller - Mærsk as a strong indication of Rijeka’s growing capacity and preparedness for expanded operations.

Plenković also welcomed progress on the EU-India trade agreement, which he said would create a free trade area covering a quarter of the world’s population. “It is important that the EU continues to develop cooperation and partnership with global powers such as India,” he added.

The Minister of Justice, Public Administration and Digital Transformation, Damir Habijan, also travelled to India to attend the AI Impact Summit.

He said the summit addresses issues closely aligned with Croatia’s national plan for the development and application of artificial intelligence.

“This summit emphasises issues that are directly correlated with our national plan for AI development, which must be guided by the principle of ethics. That is key. Artificial intelligence is certainly a major opportunity, and we should maximise the positive aspects of technological development and its application, but we must also minimise the risks, which, as we all know, are significant,” Habijan said.

On Thursday, Plenković is scheduled to meet with United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres and deliver a lecture at the University of Delhi titled “Bridging Continents: Croatia and India in a Connected World.”