President Milanović holds discussions with Suez Canal Authority: there is potential for cooperation with Egypt in tourism

After touring the Croatian memorial cemetery at El Shatt, which launched President Milanović’s Official visit to the Arab Republic of Egypt, the Croatian President visited the Suez Canal Authority in Ismailia and held a meeting with the Management of the Canal Authority, which made a presentation on the operations of the Canal.

In his statement to the media, President Milanović commented on the economic cooperation between Croatia and Egypt. “Nearly 90 percent of Croatian imports include raw materials, mostly wood, but there is room for improvement in economic cooperation. Egypt began to develop the area of hydrocarbons – natural gas and oil”, President Milanović noted, and underlined that there is potential for cooperation in the tourism sector as well.

“The potential is huge for companies that have knowledge, our consulting firms. This isn’t business expressed in billions, but is very prestigious. For, if someone asks for that type of knowledge, they recognized that there is intelligence in Croatia”, President Milanović stated.

He explained that he meant consulting firms in the tourism sector. “Tourism is a potential. Egypt is visited by 10 million tourists annually, while Croatia is visited by 20 million. Croatia has accumulated knowledge and experience that has a certain value, and all of this comes in handy. Unfortunately, we only export raw materials to Egypt, and until recently we had a huge trade surplus with Egypt, we exported wood, and imported practically nothing. However, now that the export of energy has started, Egypt is on the list of states with which Croatia has a foreign trade surplus. We sell them less than what we buy from them”, the President remarked.

Noting that Croatia depends on services and tourism, he underlined the importance of peace and international stability. “We live on peace and stability, and whoever in Europe doesn’t understand this or behaves contrary to this, is indirectly doing harm to us as well. My job is to be look after Croatia’s interests, and everything else comes second”, President Milanović stated in concluding his statement.

The Suez Canal Authority is located in the city of Ismailia where President Milanović met with the Canal Authority’s President Ossam Rabie and viewed a presentation on the operations of the Suez Canal.

PHOTO: Office of the President of the Republic of Croatia / Filip Glas