Zagreb, March 26: President Ram Nath Kovind on Tuesday said India and Croatia have agreed to work together to develop a strong global response to defeat and destroy terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, and to seek accountability and action from those responsible for such barbaric acts, an official statement said. Kovind, who arrived in Croatia on the first leg of his three-nation visit on Monday, said he and his Croatian counterpart Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic shared views on global and regional issues of concerns including UN Security Council reforms, Multilateral Export Control Regimes, and combating terrorism.

"I thanked Madam President for her strong condemnation of the brutal and barbaric terror attack in Pulwama in India last month," he said. Kovind said he had "productive discussions" with Grabar-Kitarovic covering all aspects of their relationship and looked forward to strengthen it, particularly to "expand economic relations". President Ram Nath Kovind Presents Gallantry Awards 2019 to Defence Personnel; Indian Army Chief General Bipin Rawat Receives Param Vishisht Seva Medal.

He said he was accompanied by a large business delegation, spanning various sectors, which will participate in a business forum on Wednesday. Both Presidents will jointly address the event. "The Indian economy presents enormous opportunities for Croatian companies, particularly under our Make in India, Smart Cities and Digital India programmes. And I invite them to forge technology and investment tie-ups in India.

"Several Indian companies have already made investments in Croatia in pharmaceuticals, information technology and renewable energy sectors. More are keen to follow," the President said. Kovind said that both Presidents noted the work done by the University of Zagreb's Indology Department, and by the Delhi University, to promote each other's languages and cultures.

He said in response to the enormous interest in learning Hindi, they have signed an agreement to continue the Chair of Hindi at the Zagreb University for another three years. "Croatian people also have a special interest in Sanskrit language. In order to promote study of Sanskrit, we have intensified our cooperation with the Indology Department of the University of Zagreb," he said.

Kovind said that Croatia attracted nearly 19 million tourists last year and that the agreement on cooperation in tourism that was also signed on Tuesday will help deepen links in this important sector. He also expressed hope that the agreement that was signed between the Sports Authority of India and the Department of Kinesiology of the University of Zagreb will lead to joint initiatives for capacity building in sports.

India has also offered Croatia a bust of Mahatma Gandhi for public display. The President was also conferred the Grand Order of King Tomislav, the highest civilian award of Croatia. Kovind is also scheduled to travel to Bolivia and Chile.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 26, 2019 11:52 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).