Mumbai (Maharashtra), [India], April 29 (ANI): Croatia has expressed its interest of investment in Indian defence sector, solar cells production, food processing technology, Automobiles, knowledge sharing amongst other sectors, the Commerce and Industry Ministry said in a statement on Tuesday.

Croatia's offer came during bilateral discussions held between Commerce Secretary Sunil Barthwal and his Croatian counterparts Zdenko Lucic, State Secretary for Foreign Trade and Development, Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, and Ivo Milatic, State Secretary, Ministry of Economy.

Ministry of Commerce and Industry added that the meetings focused on advancing India-Croatia trade and investment relations, promoting sectoral collaboration, and reinforcing India's engagement with the Central European region.

During the meeting with Zdenko Lucic, State Secretary for Foreign Trade and Development,discussions centered around taking forward the EU-India Free Trade Agreement (FTA) and enhancing bilateral trade cooperation, the Ministry added in the statement.

The Commerce Secretary referred to visit of EU President and 27 Commissioners to India as the first visit of the College of Commissioners outside the European continent since the start of their new mandate and also the first such visit in the history of India-EU bilateral ties.

Commerce Secretary mentioned about the areas of collaboration between the two countries like Railways, Global Capability Centers, Electric Vehicles, IT etc.

In the meeting of Commerce Secretary with Ivo Milatic, State Secretary, Ministry of Economy, discussion was focused on promoting investment flows, and enhancing cooperation across key sectors including Healthcare, Education, Tourism, Entertainment (mentioned about WAVES summit), Supply-Chain integration, Logistics, Transports, Pharmaceuticals, Digital Technology, Renewable Energy and Manufacturing.

For the third Session of Joint Commission on Economic Cooperation which is due, both sides exchanged their views on improving the work of the commission with more frequent meetings and directly connecting the entrepreneurs of both the countries for a stronger and faster progress, the Ministry added in the statement.

The Commerce Secretary also participated in a business interaction event 'Exploring Economic Cooperation Opportunities between India and Croatia' organised by the Croatian Chamber of Economy (CCE), where he met with the heads of various industry associations and leading Croatian business representatives.

A presentation on the Croatian Economy, the trade and investment relations between India and Croatia and Industries potential on key sectors of mutual interest was shown. (ANI)