The 1 Malaysia Festival, which will aim to bring Malaysia closer to Croatians over the next week, opened in Zagreb on Tuesday. Croatian President Stjepan Mesic attended the opening of the first Malaysian festival in Croatia, saying "it's still not too late for Malaysia's development to inspire Croatia".
He reiterated that accession to the European Union was Croatia's most important, although not the only, foreign policy goal. He said Croatia was open to cooperation with all willing countries, including "the faraway but friendly Malaysia." Ambassador Aminahtun Karim Shaharudin said the Malaysian Embassy had developed good relations with Croatian business people, and that her country was proud of the coexistence of its many racial and ethnic groups, a coexistence she said gave hope for world peace.