ZAGREB: Croatia and Egypt agreed on Saturday to boost their economic cooperation during a visit by Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in Zagreb, the Croatian government said in a statement.
The two sides agreed to achieve closer cooperation in the energy and tourism sectors, the statement said.
Mubarak on Friday met Croatian President Stipe Mesic and held talks Saturday with Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor.
During his meeting with Mesic, Mubarak cheered the courageous beginning of Croatian investments in oil and gas exploration in Egypt, according to Croatian news agency Hina.
I expected that this visit will give a new impetus to our cooperation in these areas, but also others, he said.
Kosor proposed that Egypt consider new areas of cooperation including in the shipbuilding and the food industry.
Croatia, which hopes to join the European Union in 2011, must privatize or restructure its shipyards on the Adriatic coast as the majority of are making losses and depend on state subsidies forbidden by Brussels.
Trade between the two countries rose by 55 percent in 2008 at ?55 million, of which 80 percent were Croatian exports.
Mubarak launched a six-day tour of Europe on Tuesday that includes Hungary, Slovenia, Croatia and Italy to discuss economic cooperation and the Middle East peace process. -AFP
