Croatia–Kurdistan Region relations are

bilateral relations Bilateralism is the conduct of political, economic, or cultural relations between two sovereign states. It is in contrast to unilateralism or multilateralism, which is activity by a single state or jointly by multiple states, respectively. When ...

between

Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capit ...

and

Kurdistan Region Kurdistan Region ( ku, هەرێمی کوردستان, translit=Herêmî Kurdistan; ar, إقليم كردستان), abbr. KRI, is an autonomous region in Iraq comprising the four Kurdish-majority governorates of Erbil, Sulaymaniyah, Duhok, ...

. Croatia has plans of opening a

consulate A consulate is the office of a consul. A type of diplomatic mission, it is usually subordinate to the state's main representation in the capital of that foreign country (host state), usually an embassy (or, only between two Commonwealth coun ...

Erbil Erbil, also called Hawler (, ar, أربيل, Arbīl; syr, ܐܲܪܒܹܝܠ, Arbel), is the capital and most populated city in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. It lies in the Erbil Governorate. It has an estimated population of around 1,600,000. Hu ...

, while Kurdistan Region has no representation in Croatia. In August 2014, after a request by the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

, Croatian authorities sent an undisclosed amount of weapons to Kurdistan Region. The weapons were mostly of Yugoslav origin. Later, it was revealed that the military aid included 20,000 pieces of

HS Produkt VHS The VHS ( hr, Višenamjenska Hrvatska Strojnica, multifunctional Croatian machine gun) is a 5.56×45mm NATO bullpup assault rifle designed and manufactured by HS Produkt of Croatia. The VHS rifle was first introduced at the 2007 iKA exhibition ...

Strengthening of ties

In 2009, Kurdish Minister of the Interior Mahmood Mohammed met with Mayor of

Zagreb Zagreb ( , , , ) is the capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Croatia#List of cities and towns, largest city of Croatia. It is in the Northern Croatia, northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slop ...

Milan Bandić Milan Bandić (22 November 1955 – 28 February 2021) was a Croatian politician and the longest-serving List of mayors of Zagreb, mayor of Zagreb, the capital of Croatia. Bandić was mayor almost continuously from 2000 to 2021, except during the ...

. Croatian Foreign Minister

Vesna Pusić Vesna Pusić (; born 25 March 1953) is a Croatian sociologist and politician who served as First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign and European Affairs in the centre-left cabinet of Zoran Milanović. She was Croatia's second female ...

visited Erbil and met with Deputy Prime Minister of Kurdistan Region

Qubad Talabani Qubad Talabani ( ku, قوباد تاڵەبانی) (born 21 July 1977) is an Iraqi Kurdish politician who has been the Deputy Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Region since 2014. Formerly serving as the representative of Kurdistan to the United Sta ...

to discuss military and humanitarian aid and cooperation in May 2015. In July 2015, Croatian Defence Minister

Ante Kotromanović Ante Kotromanović (; born 8 May 1968) is Croatian politician and army officer who served as Defense Minister of Croatia from December 2011 until January 2016. Biography Kotromanović was born in Potravlje near Hrvace. He graduated from Command ...

visited Erbil and it was decided that Croatia would send soldiers to train Kurdish soldiers, after a meeting with Kurdish officials. During the visit, Kotromanović stated that: "Croatia is proud to be a member of the anti-ISIS Coalition. We have provided military assistance to the

Peshmerga The Peshmerga ( ku, پێشمەرگه, Pêşmerge, lit=those who face death) is the Kurdish military forces of the autonomous Kurdistan Region of Iraq. According to the Constitution of Iraq, the Peshmerga, along with their security subsidiaries, ...

forces and we are determined to continue cooperation with Kurdish security forces until

ISIS Isis (; ''Ēse''; ; Meroitic: ''Wos'' 'a''or ''Wusa''; Phoenician: 𐤀𐤎, romanized: ʾs) was a major goddess in ancient Egyptian religion whose worship spread throughout the Greco-Roman world. Isis was first mentioned in the Old Kingd ...

is defeated." Kurdish Foreign Minister

Falah Mustafa Bakir Falah Mustafa Bakir ( ckb, فەلاح مستەفا بەکر; born 1964) is a Kurdish politician from Kurdistan Region, Kurdistan Region, Iraq serving as Senior Foreign Policy Advisor to President Nechirvan Barzani with a ministerial rank. He w ...

and a delegation visited Zagreb for the 49th International Folklore Festival, where a Kurdish-Croatian cultural week was held. At the event, Bakir stated that: "The event provided a good opportunity for participants to experience authentic culture and heritage of Kurdistan. Such events can further promote cultural exchanges and enhance mutual understanding between the people of Kurdistan and the people of Croatia." Kurdistan Region President

Masoud Barzani Masoud Barzani ( ku, ,مه‌سعوود بارزانی, translit=Mesûd Barzanî}; born 16 August 1946) is a Kurdish politician who has been leader of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) since 1979, and was President of the Kurdistan Region o ...

held a meeting with Croatian President

Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović (; born 29 April 1968) is a Croatian politician and diplomat who served as President of Croatia from 2015 to 2020. She was the first woman to be elected to the office since the first multi-party elections in 1990 and ...

at the sidelines of

Munich Security Conference The Munich Security Conference (MSC; german: Münchner Sicherheitskonferenz) is an annual conference on international security policy that has been held in Munich, Bavaria, Germany since 1963. Former names are ''Wehrkundetagung'' and ''Münchner ...

in Berlin in February 2016. Kitarović told reporters that: "Croatia will definitely continue supporting Peshmerga forces".

Trade and economic ties

In 2009, Croatian construction company Ingra signed an agreement with Kurdistan Region, contracting the company to build hospitals and other facilities in Kurdistan Region. In 2013, a Croatian conference was held in Erbil aiming strengthen Croatian export to Kurdistan Region, with the presence of the Croatian companies

Ericsson Nikola Tesla Ericsson Nikola Tesla d.d. is the Croatian affiliate of the Swedish telecommunications equipment manufacturer Ericsson. The company is named after the inventor Nikola Tesla and is the largest specialized provider of modern telecommunications pr ...

, Intea, Croatia Pumpe Nova, Studio BF and Iskra Impuls. In August 2014, A tanker containing Kurdish oil arrived at the Croatian

Omišalj Omišalj ( it, Castel Muschio; german: Moschau) is a coastal municipality in the north-west of the island of Krk in Croatia. The population of Omišalj itself is 1,868 (2011), while the municipality also includes the nearby village of Njivice, brin ...

port and was unloaded by Croatian authorities. The tanker contained 80,000 cubic meters of crude oil. In November 2016, Croatian Ambassador to Iraq Evan Yorick stated that Croatia would help improving Kurdistan's tourism sector and general economic development.

Strengthening of ties

Trade and economic ties

See also

References

Further reading