February the 5th, 2025 – Business relations between Croatia and Qatar increased over the first ten months of 2024, with a well of potential seen with both nations.

As Poslovni Dnevnik/Mladen Miletic writes, in the first nine months of last year, Croatia recorded an increase in exports to Qatar of almost 130 percent, with a growth in total trade of 62 percent compared to the same period back in 2023.

More than 20 Croatian companies visited Qatar as part of the Croatian Chamber of Commerce’s (HGK) economic delegation. It was organised as part of a visit of the Minister of Economy Ante Šušnjar and the Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Gordan Grlić Radman. The goal is to establish business contacts between partners in Croatia and Qatar, as well as to insight into the potential of the Qatari market. In addition to that, there’s legitimate interest in becoming better acquainted with the business environment of the State of Qatar as a whole.

osijek’s orqa impresses once again

In addition to B2B meetings between companies in order to further cement business relations between Croatia and Qatar, a memorandum of understanding was signed between the two chambers at an economic forum in Doha. The latter represented a significant step to the better establishment of institutional support. It also encouraged even better cooperation between companies from both countries.

“Croatian companies from the construction, energy, shipbuilding, defense and metal industries have already proven themselves in this region as quality and reliable partners. We also expect new opportunities in IT, pharmaceutical, food and chemical industries, engineering and knowledge transfer,” said HGK Secretary General Marina Rožić. The strengthening of economic cooperation and business relations between Croatia and Qatar at the forum was also welcomed by the Minister of Economy Ante Šušnjar.

“Croatia is a strong investment centre and a link to the European market, and Qatar is a partner in strengthening trade and investment relations. With around 20 leading companies within our delegation, we’re clearly demonstrating our ambition to expand cooperation in numerous industrial sectors,” revealed the minister.

A special focus of the delegation was placed on companies from the energy, power, infrastructure and defence industries. The delegation also included Osijek’s rather remarkable Orqa, a rapidly-growing drone-tech company specialising in highly complex drone systems.

“We export our products to more than 50 countries around the world, and the Qatari market is also interesting to us. Qatar, as one of the most economically developed countries in the world, is open to innovative high-tech products such as those we produce. We believe that new business opportunities will open up for us in the Qatari market as part of this economic delegation,” said Tomislav Krolo, the chief operating officer of Orqa.

infrastructure curiosities

The energy crisis has led to tectonic disruptions which affect the global economy. Therefore, energy self-sufficiency and security are often at the forefront of such economic meetings.

“Although our company isn’t currently cooperating with Qatari suppliers, we believe that the availability of LNG from various sources is crucial for the EU’s energy security. In this context, Qatar, as one of the world’s leading LNG exporters, has significant potential to contribute to a safe and reliable energy supply in the region. Any further diversification of the natural gas supply also plays an important role in ensuring market stability, the resilience of the energy system, and the competitiveness of all European economies,” said Zvonimir Šibalić, member of the Management Board of Prvo Plinarsko Društvo. In addition to opening up new opportunities for business relations between Croatia and Qatar, one of the goals of the delegation was to improve existing relations and cooperation.

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