Croatia's first woman president sworn in

Croatia's new president Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic attends the swearing-in ceremony at St. Marc square in central Zagreb February 15, 2015. [Photo/Agencies]

ZAGREB - Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic was sworn in as Croatia's President here on Sunday.

The inauguration ceremony kicked off at midday at the St. Mark' s Square in downtown Zagreb.

During the ceremony, Grabar-Kitarovic signed the presidential oath in the front of Constitutional Court judges, and received the presidential sash from Judge Jasna Omejec.

In her speech delivered at the inauguration, Grabar-Kitarovic called on Croatian citizens to leave divisions and misconceptions to history and unite together to build a better Croatia.

"Only united can we build a better Croatia. Let us compete with ideas, solutions and innovations," she said.

She promised to do her best to build Croatia into "the country that young people will not leave, the country which will have more births than deaths, where people in their best years will reap the fruits of their work."

Grabar-Kitarovic's presidency comes at a time when Croatia has to address challenges brought about by its long-time recession.

The President underlined the importance of creating new jobs and strengthening Croatia's export.

On the front of foreign policy, Grabar-Kitarovic said Croatia will cooperate with its allies in the European Union and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), as well as its neighboring countries.