President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic on Sunday attended a ceremony marking the 125th anniversary of the establishment of the Croatian Fraternal Union of America in Pittsburgh, and on that occasion she called on Croat Americans to come to the country of their ancestry.

“We must change our mentality (in Croatia) and present new work ethic and customs as well as values,” the president admitted while inviting Americans of Croat ethnic background to come to Croatia.

“We need your knowledge, experience, pride and patriotism,” she said.

She praised the Croatian Fraternal Union of America for promoting the Croatian language and heritage as well as identity for decades.

In her address she said that she believed that expat Croat communities could help much Croatia and in this context she mentioned the lobbing activities of local Americans of the Croat background for the conclusion of a double tax avoidance agreement between the U.S.A. and Croatia.

“The Unites States has made it clear that it needs evidence that its economy will profit from the signing of that treaty,” the Croatian president said.

That treaty can facilitate investments in Croatia and your life here as well as the return of those who would like to come back to Croatia. Please, contact the United States Department of the Treasury and show your interest in signing of the treaty, the president told the gathered at the ceremony.

The U.S. has so far concluded such agreements with a total of 63 countries and Croatia is the only one in the European Union to be still without such treaty with Washington.

Congratulating the association on its 125 years, the president said that the members of the Fraternal Union connected Croatia with the rest of the world.