New Zealand has abolished visas for Croatian citizens traveling to the country for visits shorter than three months, said Nikola Jelinčić, the honorary consul of New Zealand in Croatia, to Hina on Friday.
– New Zealand’s Minister for Social Development, Paula Bennett, who is visiting Croatia, arrived yesterday with an official announcement that the New Zealand government has decided to abolish visas for Croatian citizens for periods shorter than three months, said honorary consul Jelinčić in a phone conversation.
This news will surely resonate well among many Croatian citizens traveling to that country, he said. Paula Bennett is in Croatia from July 4 to 7, and today she will meet with the Minister of Labor and Pension System, Miranda Mrsić, to discuss the social security agreement between Croatia and New Zealand, with the Minister of Construction and Spatial Planning, Anka Mrak Taritaš, and with the Minister of Social Policy and Youth, Milanka Opačič.
According to a statement from the New Zealand government, the visa-free regime will facilitate travel to New Zealand for business people from Croatia, which will further strengthen the development of trade relations, and will also ease travel for Croats who have relatives in that country. The agreement is also a recognition of the increasingly better relations as well as the historical ties between the two countries, it adds.
– We have a strong and vibrant Croatian community in New Zealand, and increasingly important trade ties with Croatia. Relations have been further strengthened through Croatia’s accession to the European Union as its 28th member on July 1 of this year, it is stated. Currently, there are about 240 Croatian visits to New Zealand annually, and this number is expected to grow after the visa regime has been abolished, emphasizes the New Zealand government.
