 | |
 Croatia |  United States |
|---|---|
| Diplomatic mission | |
| Croatian Embassy, Washington D.C. | United States Embassy inZagreb |
| Envoy | |
| Pjer Šimunović | Trey Lyons |
The foreign, diplomatic, economic, and political relations betweenCroatia and theUnited States were established on April 7, 1992 following theindependence of Croatia. By the late-1990s, the U.S. established Croatia as its strongest geopolitical connection toSoutheast Europe. Modern relations are considered to be warm and friendly, with stalwart bilateral collaboration. TheCroatian diaspora in the U.S. is the largest, estimated to be around 1.2 million which, in part, informs theforeign policy of Croatia. The two nations have strong connectivity through tourism, immigration, foreign aid, and economic mutualism.
Croatia and the U.S. areclose military allies and share a robust bilateraldefense industrial base.[1][2] U.S. interests in Croatia are centered on the state'sstabilizing influence in the region and extending the global reach of jointly-heldWestern ideals.[3] The U.S. trained and equipped theCroatian Armed Forces in joint-initiation ofOperation Storm during theCroatian War of Independence, helping to secure much of modernCroatian borders. Both are members ofNATO. After the2022 Tu-141 drone crash in Zagreb, the U.S. dispatched twoF-16 fighter jets in a show ofmilitary strength for Croatia.
Both nations are part of theUnited Nations (UN),Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council,Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe,International Monetary Fund,World Bank andWorld Trade Organization. Croatia has an embassy inWashington, D.C., with general consulates inChicago,Los Angeles, andNew York City. The U.S. has an embassy inZagreb.
Upon theindependence of Croatia, the U.S. recognised Croatia in its modern form on April 7, 1992. The U.S. Consulate General in Zagreb gained embassy status on August 25, 1992. The first U.S. ambassador to Croatia wasPeter Galbraith who served in this position from 1993 to 1998.[4] By 1996, the U.S. established Croatia as its strongest geopolitical connection toSoutheast Europe.
The U.S. embassy in Croatia is located inZagreb, southwest ofBuzin. The 7,000 m2 compound began construction in 1999[5] and opened on June 2, 2003,[6] with an opening ceremony held in its atrium on June 13.[7] Designed for maximum safety following the1998 U.S. embassy bombings in Africa, it consists of a five-floor main building surrounded by a park and a 3-meter-high wall. All service buildings are located near the outer wall. The building was designed byHellmuth, Obata + Kassabaum architects Morgan R. Williams and Robert Barr, with input and aid from Croatian architect Ivan Franić.[6]
The U.S. embassy in Zagreb is a charter member of the League of Green Embassies and a founding member of the Zagreb Green Building Council. According to this, embassy support recycling, energy and water use reduction programs. The embassy also sponsors American Corners at libraries inOsijek,Rijeka,Zadar, andZagreb.[8][9][10]
TheRepublic of Ragusa, amerchant republic centered at the Croatian city ofDubrovnik, was one of the first foreign countries tode facto recognize independence of the United States. Ragusa extended that de facto recognition through the efforts of Francesco Favi, the Ragusan consul in Paris, on July 7, 1783. The Republic never recognized the United States in ade jure sense.[11][12] The firstU.S. President to visit Croatia wasRichard Nixon, who came toZagreb on 2 October 1970 during hisstate visit toYugoslavia. The choice to visit Zagreb during political and cultural developments inSocialist Republic of Croatia that would culminate in theCroatian Spring, along with Nixon's praise for the "spirit of Croatia" and his exclamation "Long live Croatia! Long live Yugoslavia!", has been interpreted as a statement of support for Croatian identity and greater autonomy within the federal framework of Yugoslavia.[13][14][15]
The first U.S. president to visit independent Croatia wasBill Clinton on 13 January 1996. Clinton spent a few hours on theZagreb Airport while returning from visitingIFOR troops inTuzla,Bosnia and Herzegovina. During his visit, Clinton gave a speech in front of a crowd waving Croatian and American flags, then met with Croatian PresidentFranjo Tuđman.[16][17]
On 4 April 2008, U.S. PresidentGeorge W. Bush arrived in Zagreb on an official 2-day state visit.[18] The visit immediately followed the2008 Bucharest summit ofNATO countries where Croatia andAlbania received invitations to join the alliance. Bush met with President of CroatiaStipe Mesić andPrime MinisterIvo Sanader, and gave a speech inSt. Mark's Square in downtown Zagreb.[18] Peaceful rallies were held during the visit to protestU.S. foreign policy and Croatian NATO membership.[18] U.S. PresidentGeorge W. Bush approved theNATO membership of Croatia andAlbania later that month.[19]
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U.S. Secretary of StateHillary Clinton visited Croatia on October 30, 2012. During her visit she met with many Croatian officials including PresidentIvo Josipović, Prime MinisterZoran Milanović and Foreign MinisterVesna Pusić. Main topics of discussions were Croatian role inNATO and theCroatian accession to the European Union as well as economic relations between the U.S. and Croatia. Secretary Clinton called Croatia a "leader inSoutheast Europe" that had well educated workforce, established infrastructure, geopolitical importance, adding that it was promising destination but that there was still a necessity for additional reforms, increase of transparency, elimination of bureaucratic barriers, as well as increased privatization state-owned companies.[20][21][22]
On November 25, 2015 U.S. Vice PresidentJoe Biden visited Croatia as a special guest of the Brdo-Brijuni Process Leaders' Summit.[23] Discussed topics on the plenary session were integration of Southeast Europe into Euro-Atlantic processes,migrant crisis, security challenges and the fight against terrorism, conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine, as well as energy.[24] Vice President Biden met with the Croatian Prime MinisterZoran Milanović and Foreign MinisterVesna Pusić with whom he talked about situation in the Middle East, especially about thewar in Syria,migrant crisis and the security situation in the world after2015 Paris terrorist attacks.[25][26][27]
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In 2018 and 2020 the U.S. Secretary of State,Mike Pompeo, visitedDubrovnik, where he had a meeting with Croatia's prime ministerAndrej Plenković and other Croatian government officials. Following the 2020 meeting, the Croatian foreign minister,Gordan Grlić-Radman, said that Croatia had signed no document whereby it would undertake to refrain from co-operating withChina on the issues of5G security.[28][29] Pompeo's visit was foreshadowed by statements made by Croatia's presidentZoran Milanović, who harshly criticized U.S. foreign policy, particularly its disengagement with various international organizations.[30][31][32]
During the presidency ofJoe Biden, the U.S. government significantly expanded their foreign affairs mandate with Croatia.[33] U.S. advocated for Croatia to accelerate its transition to a market-based economy and further project allied military strength in the region.[33] The U.S. offered support to strengthen "judicial efficiency, anti-corruption, and law enforcement capacity" in Croatia.[33] Relations in 2022 were buoyed by easing ofvisa requirements and Croatia's inclusion in the U.S.-ledGlobal Entry Program.[34]
Amid U.S. disengagement with the international community, Croatia was relatively insulated from adverse U.S. foreign policy in the region.[34] Croatian Prime MinisterAndrej Plenković visited the U.S. in May 2025, to meet with the U.S. Congressional Croatian-American Friendship Caucus, highlighting key bilateral military and energy projects.[34] The U.S. and Croatia are interested in executing adouble taxation waiver treaty.[34] Croatia's entry into theOECD was briefly blocked by PresidentDonald Trump amid a broader2025 trade war with Europe, but resumed later on with entry expected by mid-2026.[35]
Croatia and the United States are close military allies and share a strong bilateraldefense industrial base.[36] The U.S. government has stated that itsDepartment of Defense had a "robust military-to-military relationship with Croatia" with the U.S. providing military assistance to Croatia in the form of training, equipment, equipment loans, and education in U.S. military schools.[37] Both are members ofNATO, leveraging Croatia's aerospace and defense manufacturing and U.S. military operations to advance multilateral initiatives. In 1995, the U.S. trained and equipped theCroatian Armed Forces in joint-initiation ofOperation Storm during theCroatian War of Independence, securing much of modernCroatian borders.[38][39] SinceOperation Sharp Guard in 1993, theterritorial waters of Croatia have been adeterrence asset in Southern Europe for the U.S. and NATO.[40][41] In August 2015, they jointly celebrated the 20th anniversary of Operation Storm in Zagreb, with an American delegation arriving ahead of the planned military parade.[42][43]
TheUnited States Navy frequently docks naval ships and aircraft carriers inSplit, where it maintains a logistical office in theLora Naval Base.[44] TheUnited States European Command maintains a training facility at this naval base.[45] The Croatian island ofKrk has served as a logistics hub for U.S. military supply chains heading to the Middle East.[46] The two nations have deep defence integration and interoperability.[47] The Croatian Armed Forces have a special relationship with the U.S.-basedMinnesota National Guard through their State Partnership Program.[48]
The U.S. and Croatia work together in these 11 military programs, funds and initiatives:[49]
Foreign Military Financing
Croatia received from this program from 2000 until FMF's suspension in 2003 $18.5 million. Once FMF was launched again in 2008 Croatia received addition $14.5 million. Croatia spent this money mostly on purchase of communication systems, simulators and equipment for night surveillance.
Foreign Military Sales
Croatia bought $4.2 billion worth products from this program; flight equipment, communications devices, night vision equipment and software's for Croatia's Main Simulation Centre.
Global Peacekeeping Operations Initiative
Around $5.1 million that Croatia received from this program was spent for equipping two classrooms for foreign language learning inKnin andNašice, buying navigation equipment and equipment for the night flying, as well as for training helicopter pilots for the night flights.
Program - article 1206 - Train and Equip
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From this program Croatia received $31 million from 2010 to 2014. With this money Croatia boughtHMMWV vehicles for training, communication and navigation equipment, equipment for night surveillance, labeling and identification of army vehicles and MILES 2000 adjustment system for CroatianVHS-D rifle. In 2015, Croatia received $11 million for purchasing communications equipment and training its special forces.
Program - article 1202 - Enhanced ACSA (Acquisition and Cross Servicing Agreements)
Through this program U.S. lends its allies that are participating in missions in Afghanistan and Iraq military equipment for a period of approximately one year. Croatia received through this program 50HMMWV and 12MRAP vehicles (which Croatia kept as a gift after the end of missions in Afghanistan and Iraq), ballistic missiles and systems for command, control and communication (Blue Force Tracking).
Excess Defense Articles
Through this program Croatia bought 212 usedMRAP vehicles: 162M-ATV, 30Navistar MaxxPro Plus, and 20 medical vehicles MRAP HAGA. In April 2014, Croatia took delivery of 30 U.S.MRAP vehicles out of the 212 MRAP vehicles that the U.S. government had decided on donating to Croatia.[50]
Coalition Support Funds
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Through this program Croatia received from the U.S. partial refund of its money invested inISAF missions in which Croatia participated from 2011 until 2013. $16.9 million were refunded to Croatia. This money will be used for improving maritime radar Enhanced Peregrine.
International Military Education and Training
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Croatia at first participated in this program from 1995 to 2003 when it got banned from participating due to some diplomatic disagreements between U.S. and Croatia. On October 2, 2006George W. Bush with his decree abolished the restraining Croatia from participating in IMET program "because of the Croatian importance for U.S. national interests". Croatia through the IMET program implemented over 600 activities with costs estimated at about $9 million.
Cooperative Logistic Support Supply Arrangement
Croatia signed this agreement and became part of the U.S. logistics data base. This agreement enables Croatia to independently buy spare parts for itsHMMWV vehicles which wouldn't be possible without this agreement because the only authorized buyer of spare parts forHMMWV is the U.S. and anyone that wants to buy any spare parts has to ask U.S. for permission.
Man-portable air-defense system
The U.S. donated to Croatia approximately $2 million through this program so Croatia could destroy some of its anti-aircraft systems that are dysfunctional.
The program of demining and the destruction of surplus munitions
The U.S. donated to Croatia approximately $2.5 million through this program for demining and destroying some Croatian surplus munitions.
Economic relations between Croatia and the United States are very strong. An investment treaty between the two countries was first signed in 1996, increasing protection of U.S. business interests in Croatia.[51] In 2013 Croatia exported $327,992.000 worth goods to the U.S. and imported from it $221,794.000 worth goods. The U.S. is the most important trade partner inNorth America for Croatia in front ofCayman Islands andCanada. The U.S. is the eighth-most important trading partner for Croatia in the world.[52][53]
Travel and tourism between the two countries represent a material economic cooperation. In 2013, 220,043 Americans, who have made 548,727 overnight stays, came to Croatia on a holiday.[54]
The U.S. donated more than $27 million in humanitarian assistance to Croatia from 1998 to 2016.[2] The U.S. also has provided additional financial assistance to Croatia through the Southeastern European Economic Development Program (SEED) to facilitate democratization and restructuring of Croatia's financial sector, largely through programs managed byUSAID.
The modernCroatian diaspora in the U.S. is the largest in the world with an estimate of more than 1.2 million members in 2016.[55] Most of the Croats live inChicago (~150,000),New York City,New Jersey andConnecticut (~80,000),St. Louis (~40,000),San Pedro (~35,000),Detroit (~7,000) andSan Jose (~5,000). The National Federation of Croatian Americans is the main organization that brings together Croats in the U.S.[56] According to the1990 United States census, there were over 544,270 Croatian Americans, a figure which had fallen to 414,714 by 2012.[57][58]
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