Indonesia Supports Construction of Islamic Center in Croatia

Jakarta, MINA – Indonesian Foreign Minister Sugiono welcomed the project to build an Islamic center in Croatia with assistance from Indonesia, seeing it as proof of the increasingly strong friendly relations between Muslims in both countries.

“The relationship between the Muslim communities in the two countries has deepened because, as we know, Indonesia is committed to establishing an Islamic Center in Croatia,” said Sugiono in a joint press statement after a bilateral meeting with Croatian Foreign Minister Gordan Grlić-Radman at the Pancasila Building of the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Kemlu RI) in Jakarta, Monday.

He highlighted the visit of the Grand Mufti of Croatia, Aziz Hasanović, to Indonesia, where he met with several government representatives, as further evidence of the strong friendship between Muslims in the two countries.

In a separate instance, the Indonesian Foreign Minister stated that the Islamic center project brings new hope for the Muslim community in Croatia. He also mentioned that the Islamic center would be designed as a multipurpose complex.

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“They hope this (Islamic Center project) can continue because it serves as an example of tolerance within diversity,” Sugiono said.

Indonesian Deputy Foreign Minister Anis Matta had previously inspected the site of the Islamic center in Croatia, named Islamic Centre Istiqlal Osijek (ICO), in July 2025, according to a written statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

On that occasion, the Deputy Foreign Minister affirmed the Indonesian Government’s commitment to assisting in the development of the Islamic center. He also invited Indonesian zakat (alms) institutions to contribute to its construction.

Strategically located, the ICO will become a gathering point for approximately 10,000 Muslims from Croatia and neighboring countries such as Hungary, Serbia, and Bosnia-Herzegovina.

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The construction of the ICO is a tangible manifestation of Indonesia’s commitment to spreading moderate, peaceful, and inclusive Islamic values, while also strengthening Indonesia’s position as a main reference for the Muslim community in Croatia and the Balkan region.

Furthermore, the project is part of efforts to strengthen Indonesia’s relations with the Islamic world, which receives special attention from the President of Indonesia.

In 2002, the Istiqlal Mosque in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, was inaugurated as a symbol of solidarity and a strategic step to affirm Indonesia’s presence in the Balkan region. The construction of the Islamic Centre Istiqlal Osijek comes with the same spirit.[]

Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)

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