The President of Croatia Meets with Rouhani in Tehran

Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović, the President of Croatia, has traveled to Tehran for discussions with Iranian officials. She is scheduled to meet with Hassan Rouhani on Wednesday, May 29. Grabar-Kitarović arrived in Tehran on Tuesday evening, where she was officially welcomed at the airport by Iran's Minister of Industry and Mines. According to the IRNA news agency, several agreements and memorandums of understanding are expected to be signed during the bilateral meeting with Rouhani. Following this meeting, Rouhani and Grabar-Kitarović will hold a joint press conference. The Croatian President is accompanied by representatives from her country's oil and gas companies. The website 'Total Croatia News' reports that Zagreb is seeking to expand its economic relations with Tehran, which is why a large business delegation has accompanied Grabar-Kitarović. Tehran and Zagreb had previously signed an agreement in 2008 for oil and gas exploration in 17 gas fields in Iran, but the expansion of sanctions against Iran due to its nuclear program during Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's presidency left this agreement unfulfilled. Nevertheless, former Croatian officials, including the former Speaker of Parliament and the former Foreign Minister, had visited Iran while sanctions were still in place. The nuclear agreement between Tehran and six world powers has led to the lifting of nuclear sanctions. Following this agreement, the Iranian President made his first European trip to Italy and France. Several senior officials from other countries have also traveled to Tehran during this time, mainly for economic discussions. Grabar-Kitarović is the second female president to visit Iran in recent years; before her, Park Geun-hye, the President of South Korea, had traveled to Tehran.