Season’s gathering 2019 & Announcement next year’s leading Croatian businessmen visit to Israel
Dragan Primorac: “Israel and Croatia are countries whose partnership and friendship can serve as an example worldwide, but there is one missing link and now is the right time to finally make a significant step towards economic cooperation.”
Zagreb, December 5, 2019. A traditional Season’s gathering has been organized in the Emerald Room of the Esplanade Hotel by the Croatian-Israeli Business Club (CIBC) and the Embassy of the State of Israel, in the presence of more than 350 guests, among them Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Croatia Gordan Grlić Radman, Minister of Regional Development and EU Funds Marko Pavić, Mayor of the City of Zagreb Milan Bandić, numerous politicians and mayors, US Ambassador Robert Kohorst, Ambassador of Japan Misako Kaji, Australian Ambassador Elizabeth Petrović, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Denmark Christian Thorning, Ambassador of Spain Alonso Dezcallar, Ambassador of Korea Dong Chan Kim, Ambassador of Bulgaria Genko Georgieva, representatives of German, Irish and Italian embassies, rectors of Croatian and foreign universities, leading Croatian businessmen, sportsmen, etc. The guests were greeted by Prof. Dragan Primorac, PhD, Honorary President of the Croatian-Israeli Business Club, Asst. Prof. Saša Missoni, President of the Croatian-Israeli Business Club and His Excellency Ilan Mor, the Ambassador of the State of Israel to Croatia.
In his speech, Prof. Dragan Primorac announces next year’s “historic” visit of one hundred leading Croatian businessmen to Israel, organized by the Croatian-Israeli Business Club, Croatian Chamber of Commerce and the Embassy of the State of Israel in the Republic of Croatia, in order to intensify the cooperation between Croatian and Israeli economy. “Primorac stressed that Israel has been promoting innovation for many years, and that is the direction in which Croatia wants to develop as well. “They are three times smaller than us, but their GDP is twice as high. They have seven times more irrigated areas, although Croatia has 90 times more water resources. They are the third country in the world based on the number of registered patents. We strive to intensify our cooperation at all possible levels, because our two countries are already true strategic partners.”
In his address, Ambassador Ilan Mor highlighted the huge progress that Croatia and Israel have accomplished in cooperation in all areas and emphasized that the next necessary step is the intensification of economic cooperation. “The future belongs to those who innovate, it is the only way to constantly add value to your products and be competitive in the global economy. We transform our people’s ideas into commercial products with the help of new technologies, “Mor said, adding that they currently have over 6,600 start-ups. He emphasized that the success of Israel lies in its defence, research and development, culture of knowledge, human potential and geostrategic position.
President of the Croatian-Israeli Business Club, Asst. Prof. Saša Missoni, thanked all the members for their support and emphasized the role of the Club in the continuous cooperation between Israel and Croatia. “Israel is living proof that investing in quality education is profitable and sustainable in the long term. Our cooperation must be better not only at the economic but also at the university level, because the successes in the economy comes from knowledge”, said Missoni.
Due to their excellence in work and many years of cooperation, new members have been admitted to the Croatian-Israeli Business Club: Pelagos Net Farma for mariculture and trade, Gajski, Grlić, Prka & Partners, law firm and Operetta, real estate firm.
Ante Gotovina Jr., son of Croatian General Ante Gotovina, whose company has been reporting enviable success outside Croatia for years, thanked on behalf of Pelagos Net Farm, Mr. Elias Ernst thanked on behalf of the law firm Gajski, Grlić, Prka and Partners and Msc. Borislav Vujovic thanked on behalf of Opereta, real estate firm. They all emphasized that the membership in the Club is an honour, but also a great opportunity to step forward and cooperate with Israeli businessmen.
Croatian-Israeli Business Club (www.cibc.hr) was founded in 2010 at the initiative of Prof. Dragan Primorac, during an official visit of the Israeli President Shimon Peres to Croatia. The club represents an organization of Croatian and Israeli companies and individuals focused on strengthening and promoting business relations, scientific and sports cooperation, as well as investment in both countries. The Croatian-Israeli Business Club cooperates with a number of partner institutions such as the Israeli-American Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Croatian Chamber of Commerce, etc. and has made a significant contribution towards raising Croatia-Israel relations to the highest possible level.
