Zagreb - The joint organisation of the World Handball Championship with Denmark and Norway serves as a roadmap for various collaborative projects in the future, Croatian Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković said to Danish King Frederik X in Copenhagen on Tuesday.
"During my official visit, I had the honour of meeting King Frederik X," Jandroković told reporters. "We discussed bilateral relations, and I must say that the King demonstrated a very high level of knowledge and understanding of Croatia."
The interlocutors reflected on numerous connections between the two countries, "from their size and mutual maritime orientation to economic investments, tourism cooperation, and the importance both nations place on youth and sport".
He said the joint organisation of the World Handball Championship, hosted this year by Croatia, Denmark, and Norway, further confirmed these ties.
The meeting with the King was also attended by the Speaker of the Danish Parliament, Soren Gade. The interlocutors affirmed that "Croatia and Denmark nurture long-standing friendly and partnership relations."
"Croatia fondly remembers the most recent royal visit to our country by Queen Margrethe II in 2014," noted Jandroković, who is the first Croatian parliament speaker to pay an official visit to Denmark in nearly 12 years.
He recalled that Denmark was one of the first countries to internationally recognise Croatia, on 15 January 1992, establishing diplomatic relations shortly thereafter, on 1 February.
King Frederik expressed particular satisfaction with the encouragement for parliamentary dialogue between the two countries, with both officials agreeing that it would "further contribute to the development of overall relations between the two countries."
Speaking after the meeting, Jandroković said they also "touched on... changes occurring in international relations, issues of EU enlargement, international security, and the arrival of a new leader in the United States."
"But what is most important for us is that we confirmed the high level of friendly and comprehensive relations between Croatia and Denmark," he added.