Zagreb, Jun 18 (PTI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday concluded his visit to Croatia, where he held talks with the Balkan nation’s top leadership on a range of issues to boost bilateral ties.
Modi, who is the first Indian prime minister to visit Croatia, was here on the last leg of his three-nation tour.
“PM @narendramodi emplanes for New Delhi after concluding three-nation tour to Cyprus, Canada and Croatia,” the PMO posted on X.
He arrived in Zagreb earlier in the day and was received by Prime Minister Andrej Plenković at the airport.
Modi held delegation-level talks with Plenković and met President Zoran Milanovic to discuss a range of issues to boost bilateral ties.
Modi said he and his Croatian counterpart have decided to give a “three-time” pace to the bilateral ties and said a plan would be made to boost defence cooperation between the two countries.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri were present during the talks.
The two nations also signed four memoranda of cooperation in the areas of agriculture, culture, and science. Another memorandum was signed between the ICCR and the University of Zagreb, related to the study of Indology.
He reached Croatia from Canada, where he attended the G7 summit and held talks with several world leaders.
In his address at the Summit, the prime minister told the leaders of the seven-nation bloc that India’s neighbourhood has become a breeding ground for terrorism and turning a blind eye towards the challenge would be a “betrayal of humanity”. He also sought action against Pakistan for its support of cross-border terrorist activities.
He had earlier visited Cyprus as part of the tour, where he held wide-ranging talks with Cyprus President Nikos Christodoulides.
During his visit, Modi and Christodoulides also viewed from atop a building the mountains near Nicosia, which are under Turkish control, signalling a message to Turkiye, which had openly supported Pakistan during the recent conflict with India.
His visit to Cyprus assumed significance in the wake of the island nation’s strained ties with Turkiye.
This was his first foreign visit after India carried out Operation Sindoor in May during which it destroyed terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir in retaliation to the Pahalgam attack.
During his visit, Modi was conferred with the Grand Cross of the Order of Makarios III of Cyprus, the country’s highest civilian honour. PTI GRS MNK MNK
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