H.E. Ambassador Aminahtun Hj. Abdul Karim met with the former Croatian Prime Minister at the Official Residence on Friday, 25 April 2008. Mr. Valentic had requested for the meeting to explore trade and economic opportunities with Malaysia. During the meeting, Mr. Valentic emphasized that he was and will always be a close friend of Malaysia and stands ready to further develop and enhance bilateral relations between Malaysia and Croatia.
Mr. Valentic was the former Prime Minister of Croatia (April 1993 – November 1995) and was a member of the Croatian House of Representatives. He is the owner of NIVA Holding, a local company responsible for bringing PROTON to Croatia in the mid ‘90s. MR. Valentic had established close rapport with both the current Prime Minister of Malaysia, YAB Dato’ Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and the former, Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad as well as with other Malaysian ministers.