Croatian president begins South America tour

Argentina, Chile and Brazil

SANTIAGO – Croatia’s President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović is flying to South America on Saturday, and the first stop of her Latin American tour, which will last until 20 March, is Argentina, and after that she will fly to Chile and Brazil.

After the official visit of the first and former Croatian President, Franjo Tudjman, to South America, Grabar-Kitarović is the first Croatian President to visit members of the Croatian diaspora in these three countries.

The Presidential tour will start on the 11th and last to the 20th of March 2018, according to The Dubrovnik Times reported.

During her official visit to Argentina, Grabar Kitarović will be received by President Mauricio Macri and Vice President Gabreila Michetti on Monday. In Buenos Aires the Croatian head of state will be declared an honorary citizen. On Tuesday, she will attend the opening of an Argentine-Croatian business forum.

In La Plata, she will visit the “Juan Vucetich” police academy named after Ivan Vučetić, a Croatian-born Argentine anthropologist and police officer who pioneered the use of fingerprinting. In Rosario, she will open Croatian’s honorary consulate.

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Apart from meeting with the representatives of Croatian communities in these three South American countries, the President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović will also meet with the Presidents of Argentina and Chile, the Governor of Sao Paulo as well as with businesspersons in these countries.

She will attend an economic forum in Santiago de Chile on Wednesday.

Grabar Kitarović is also expected to visit local Croats in Punta Arenas and Antofagasta.

On Monday, 19 March, she will start a working visit to Brazil, during which she will visit the Croat community in Sao Paulo.

It is estimated that there are 400,000 Croatians living in Chile, around 250,000 living in Argentina and 45,000 in Brazil. In fact Chile has the second largest population of Croatian diaspora after the U.S.