King Felipe and Queen Letizia begin official visit to Croatia

King Felipe and Queen Letizia have began a two-days official visit to Croatia, aimed at celebrating the 30th anniversary of the two countries’ diplomatic relations and signing a Memorandum to reinforce cooperation between the two countries. 

Their Majesties, accompanied by the Minister of Science and Education and the State Secretary for the European Union, landed at Zagreb Airport on the morning of 16th November, and were welcomed by local authorities, including the President’s Chief of Staff and the Croatian Ambassador to Spain. 

They were then transported to the Presidential palace, where they received the official welcome from Croatian President Zoran Milanović and First Lady Sanja Musić. Following the playing of the two National Anthems, the King and the President reviewed troops and introduced their respective delegations. 

Once inside the Palace, two parallel meetings took place; while Queen Letizia and First Lady Musić discussed the imminent OMS summit focussed on childhood obesity that Croatia will be hosting next year, King Felipe and President Milanović discussed the bilateral ties between the two countries and possible areas of cooperation. 

Following a private lunch, King Felipe and Queen Letizia were among the first foreign Heads of State to visit Croatia’s new Monument to the Country; the structure was inaugurated at the end of 2020 and is located at the border between the old and new parts of Zagreb. 

The monument features a metal arc, in front of which there is the perpetual flame, burning in a stone and bronze pit, and a crystal wall, inspired both by Jerusalem’s Wailing Wall (also known as the Western Wall), but, most importantly, by the spontaneous structure built by the relatives of victims of Croatia’s independence war, which was later dismantled. 

The first day’s activities concluded in the evening with an official dinner at the Presidential Palace, during which both Heads of State delivered speeches highlighting the 30th anniversary of bilateral relations between the two nations and the potential for the future of this particular bilateral bond. 

The King and Queen are expected to land back in Madrid in the evening of 17th November, after signing an agreement for the construction of the IFMIF Dones, a particle accelerator; the structure will be built in Escúzar, near Grenada, and will represent a scientific advance in both countries’ research programmes.