Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic spoke about the troubled Agrokor conglomerate with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Tuesday on the margins of the UN General Assembly in New York.

The problem of Agrokor has been resolved for the most part, but Russian banks must help get the troubled giant back on its feet, Grabar-Kitarovic said.

Under the provisions of the settlement deal, confirmed by the Zagreb Commercial Court in July this year, Russian Sberbank would own the most shares of the Croatian conglomerate, 39.2 percent, after the company’s restructuring. Along with another Russian bank, VTB (7.5 percent), and Zagrebacka Banka (2.3 percent), it will own nearly three quarters of total shares in Agrokor.

“We still need Russia to help Agrokor get back on its feet and become a successful company which will make it possible to not only return the debt to all the company’s creditory, but increase capital and profits which will benefit all employees, and especially partner companies,” Grabar-Kitarovic said.

She added that the preparations for the return visit of Russian president Vladimir Putin to Croatia were underway, but did not specify when it may take place. Grabar-Kitarovic met with Putin in the Russian city of Sochi in October last year.

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