Croatia-Mexico relations

Croatian-Mexican relations

Croatia
Mexico

Croatia–Mexico relations refer to the bilateral relationship between Croatia and Mexico. Diplomatic relations among two countries were established on December 6, 1992 following Croatia's independence from SFR Yugoslavia. Both counties are members of the International Monetary Fund, United Nations, World Bank and the World Trade Organization.

History

Since the establishment of diplomatic relations; relations between both nations have been limited. In March 2002, Croatian President Stjepan Mesić visited Mexico to attend the International Conference on Financing for Development in Monterrey, Mexico.[1] This was the first and highest level visit paid to Mexico by a Croatian head of state.

In 2008, Mexican Secretary of Foreign Affairs, Patricia Espinosa Cantellano paid an official visit to Croatia, the first visit at ministerial level by a Mexican official to the Croatia since the establishment of diplomatic relations between both nations.[2] Croatia and Mexico signed an agreement on mutual abolition of visas.[3] In addition, two countries signed an agreement on cooperation in the fields of education, culture and sport.

Croats in Mexico

There is a small immigrant community of Croats in Mexico mostly in the capital and its surroundings. Mexican cuisine, Mexican music (mariachi) and Mexican soap operas are popular in Croatia. Los Caballeros is the first Croatian band that performs traditional Mexican music. In 2000, it successfully participated in the 7th International Mariachi and Charreria meeting in Guadalajara, Mexico.

Croatian sailor and soldier, Vinko Paletin, joined the expedition that was led by Francisco de Montejo on the Yucatán Peninsula. As a member of the Mexican Dominican Province of St. James Paletin was in Mexico preparing at a monetary of St. Dominic to become a priest. He eventually at the end of summer of 1546 returned to Europe.[4]

18th century Croatian Jesuit missionary Ferdinand Konščak (Mexican: Fernando Consag) has become one of the most famous researchers of Mexican peninsula Baja California. He proved that California was a peninsula. Konščak was a distinguished mathematician, astronomer, naturalist, geologist, builder of roads and embankments and supervisor of all the Jesuit reductions in Mexico. Small Mexican island Roca Consag was named after him.[5][6]

Croatian Jesuit priest Ivan Ratkaj came to present-day Mexican province of Chihuahua in 1680. He has written three reports about his trip, landscape, as well as about life, nature and customs of indigenous people. These are the oldest descriptions of this region. It also consists of many details. With his third travelogue, Ratkaj enclosed a map of the province marked with latitude and longitude, parts of the world, missionary stations and Spanish forts, habitats of provincial Indian tribes and rivers and mountains. It is also one of the first mapping works by Croatian authors, and the oldest map of that Mexican province. Map was made in 1683 as a drawing on paper. The original is kept in the central Jesuit archives in Rome. Small copy was published by EJ Burrus in La obra de la Provincia cartografico Mexicana de la Compañía de Jesús, 1567-1967, Madrid 1967, P. II. carta Nr. 16.[7][8]

Economic cooperation

Bilateral trade between Croatia and Mexico totaled $43 million USD in 2014.[9] In 2012 Croatia exported to Mexico goods worth $24.6 million[10] and imported from Mexico goods worth $26.1 million.[11]

Resident diplomatic missions

References

  1. ↑ History of diplomatic relations between Croatia and Mexico (in Spanish)
  2. ↑ http://www.sabor.hr/Default.aspx?art=24617&sec=2133&dm=2
  3. ↑ http://www.mvep.hr/hr/konzularne-informacije/vize/pregled-viznog-sustava0/meksiko,177.html#p
  4. ↑ Franjo Šanjek: Prilozi za biografiju Vinka Paletina, CCP, 9/1982, p. 94–95.
  5. ↑ Consag, Ferdinand. 1985. Descripción compendiosa de lo descubierto y conocido de la California, 1746. Edited by Catalina Velázquez Morales. Centro de Investigaciones Históricas UNAM-UABC, Mexicali, Mexico.
  6. ↑ Zevallos, Francisco. 1968. The Apostolic Life of Fernando Consag, Explorer of Lower California. Edited by Manuel P. Servin. Dawson's Book Shop, Los Angeles.
  7. ↑ M. Korade: Ivan Ratkaj (1647.-1683.), misionar i istraživač u Meksiku, u: Vrela i prinosi, Zbornik za povijest isusovačkoga reda u hrvatskim krajevima. Filozofsko-teološki institut Družbe Isusove, Zagreb 1990/91, no. 18, p. 132-167.
  8. ↑ M. Korade: Kartografija i putopisi, Portret Ivana Ratkaja, Zemljovid pokrajine Tarahumare, u: Znanost u Hrvata, I. dio, katalog izložbe. MGC, Zagreb 1996, p. 184, 187, 188.
  9. ↑ Mexican Ministry of the Economy: Croatia (in Spanish)
  10. ↑ https://atlas.media.mit.edu/en/explore/tree_map/hs/export/hrv/show/all/2012/
  11. ↑ https://atlas.media.mit.edu/en/explore/tree_map/hs/import/hrv/show/all/2012/
  12. ↑ Croatian Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Mexico (in Croat and English)
  13. ↑ Embassy of Mexico in Budapest, Hungary (in English, Hungarian and Spanish)
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