President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has received credentials of the newly appointed Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Croatia Branko Zebić.

Ambassador Branko Zebić reviewed a guard of honor.

Presenting his credentials to President Ilham Aliyev, the Ambassador said:

- Good morning, Mr. President. My name is Branko Zebić. I am the Ambassador of Croatia. It is an honor for me to be here, to present you my credentials and convey the greetings of Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic whom you know very well.

President Ilham Aliyev:

- Please convey my greetings to Madame President. I remember our meetings, in particular, the meeting held during my official visit to your country last year. The discussions held serve the development of partnership between our countries. I think we managed to build very effective relationships that span a number of areas. Of course, the official visit of Madame President to Azerbaijan and my visit to your country are very important examples of our cooperation. I am sure that you will feel at home in Azerbaijan, because friendly relations between our countries also apply to public diplomacy. I think that in recent years more people in Croatia have been informed about us and even more Azerbaijanis have learned about your country. For this reason, I think you will be pleased to work in Azerbaijan for several years. I am sure that you will contribute to enhancing cooperation in traditional areas, as well as identifying new areas of our partnership. I wish you pleasant days and success in our country.

Ambassador Branko Zebić:

- Thank you. I feel very good and already at home. Previously, I worked as a charge d'affaires for a year. When you visited Zagreb, I started living in Azerbaijan. I was a member of the delegation of Croatia. The Prime Minister introduced me to you and promised that I would be the ambassador here. However, it took some time in Croatia. This is the procedure.

President Ilham Aliyev: Are you well settled in Azerbaijan?

Ambassador Branko Zebić: Yes, I am well settled and feeling at home. As you noted, there are many areas for strengthening and expanding cooperation. It is not only about economic cooperation. Things are going well in this area. As the first permanent ambassador of Croatia to Azerbaijan, I would especially like to expand cooperation between peoples.

President Ilham Aliyev expressed his gratitude for the greetings of Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic, and asked Branko Zebić to convey his greetings to the President of the Republic of Croatia.