The India-Croatia strategic alliance deepens as PM Modi’s historic visit to Croatia opens gateways for economic, defense, and space collaboration, positioning India strategically in Eastern Europe.
India-Croatia Strategic Alliance: A Tectonic Shift in Bilateral Engagements
In a move laden with symbolic gravitas and diplomatic resonance, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on June 18, 2025, etched his name into the annals of international relations as the pioneer Indian leader to tread Croatian soil since the inception of diplomatic rapport in 1992. This epochal juncture in the India-Croatia Strategic Alliance is more than ceremonial—it’s tectonic, hinting at a continental recalibration of India’s foreign ambitions.
This visit, a pivotal axis of Modi’s larger geostrategic carousel that wove through Cyprus and culminated at the G7 Summit in Canada, casts Croatia as a luminous node in India’s evolving European constellation. Rich with antiquity and maritime prowess, Croatia now looms large in India’s calculus for the India-Croatia Strategic Alliance.
India-Croatia Strategic Alliance and the Adriatic Arc
In his diplomatic scroll, Modi highlighted Croatia’s crucial position in the proposed India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC), a commercial route that had the potential to completely transform intercontinental trade. The Adriatic ports in Croatia are the hubs of a redesigned logistics model that serves Central and Eastern Europe rather than just being transit hubs.
Invoking the Sagarmala ideology, Prime Minister Modi extended an invitation to Croatian maritime companies, saying, “Croatian ingenuity is awaited for India’s coastal rejuvenation under Sagarmala.” The India-Croatia Strategic Alliance presently operates in a variety of industries, including ports, shipbuilding, and high-octane infrastructure, in addition to oceans.
India-Croatia Strategic Alliance in the Realm of Defence and Cosmos
After discussions with Croatian Premier Andrej Plenković, Modi announced a visionary strategic muscle accord in his speech in Zagreb. Defense collaborations will no longer be perfunctory exchanges but sculpted through long-term planning and shared manufacturing ethos. Space, often the final frontier, has now become a collaborative gateway as India opens its galactic expertise to Croatian counterparts under the banner of the India-Croatia Strategic Alliance.
In a compelling nod to academia and culture, the Indian Prime Minister exalted the Indology faculty at Zagreb University, announcing joint research accords between universities of both nations. “We will soon ink a mobility agreement,” declared Modi, “that will bridge our human potential and intellect, enriching the India-Croatia Strategic Alliance on a people-to-people axis.”
India-Croatia Strategic Alliance Within the EU-NATO Framework
Under the dual guises of NATO and EU membership, Croatia is a silent force to be reckoned with. For India, this is a conduit not merely to market access but to the labyrinthine chambers of Brussels and beyond. With the India-EU Free Trade Agreement hobbling over bureaucratic speed bumps, Zagreb’s support offers a diplomatic lever.
Unlike the erratic stances of larger European powers, Croatia has displayed clarity and consistency in supporting India’s global assertions, from UNSC reforms to its firm yet non-intrusive voice on Kashmir. This reliability enhances the India-Croatia strategic ties as a model of mutual strategic trust.
India-Croatia Friendship: A Gateway to the Heart of Europe
Modi’s oration did not merely lay out policy—it painted a cartographic dream. With Croatia’s geopolitical neighborhood comprising Hungary, Slovenia, Bosnia, and Serbia, India now positions itself closer to Europe’s industrial heartland. Croatia’s skepticism towards the Belt and Road Initiative and its minimalistic dependency on Beijing render it a sovereign interlocutor—an ideal pillar for India’s vision of democratic connectivity and sustainable multilateralism.
Tourism, academia, defense, and commerce now interweave through the India-Croatia Strategic Alliance, which is rapidly becoming a microcosm of India’s future-forward European engagement.
