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Mr Putin and Mr Mesic praised the development of economic relations between the two countries. According to Mr Putin, trade turnover between Russia and Croatia reached almost $1 billion.
Energy cooperation is an issue of high importance, Mr Putin said.
In December 2002, Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Hungary, Croatia and Slovakia signed an agreement on the integration of the Druzhba and Adria pipelines in Zagreb. The implementation of the agreement will allow Russia to export increased volumes of its oil to the international market. Through the pipelines, oil will be transported to the Croatian port of Omishal, which can work with supertankers. The Croatian side will modernise oil terminals and increase their capacity. The document must be ratified by every member state.
Mr Mesic also mentioned the prospects for the further development of Russian-Croatian cooperation in shipbuilding and the gas industry.
Participants in the meeting also discussed the visa regime. Mr Putin spoke for the simplification of the visa application procedure for Russian tourists travelling to Croatia.
February 17, 2003, The Kremlin, Moscow