OSCE Representatives visit Zemunik Base
The representatives of OSCE signatories of the Vienna Document 2011 are visiting the Republic of Croatia from 4- 6 October 2016. They first visited the 93rd Air Base “Zemunik“, on 4 October 2016.
The visit was preceded by a briefing on the Base by its Commander, Colonel Karol Lučan.
The observers viewed the routine operation of the Base, the training activities, the Air Technical Battalion, the Firefighter Squadron, the Rotary Wing Squadron, the Fixed-Wing Squadron, the Air Defence Battalion and the Air Force Training Centre. They had also the opportunity to view the flying sequence of the “Krila Oluje“ Aerobatic Team and the static display and communicated with the Base pilots, officers, NCOs and enlisted soldiers.
Colonel Bosiljko Mijatović, the Head of the International Inspection of the Ministry of Defence, stated that each signatory of Vienna Document is obliged to conduct a visit to an air base and other facilities. “We have received a visit from 30 observers from 21 countries, to view the daily working routine in the Base, to communicate with the personnel and draw a joint conclusion reflecting the confidence and the co-operation among the member countries“.
Colonel Hans Luber (CH), the spokesman for the observers, expressed satisfaction with the degree of transparency displayed by the Croatian Armed Forces and cited Croatia as an example in the implementation of the objectives of the Vienna Document:
The visit was opened with the welcome addresses by the Assistant Minister of Defence and a representative of the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, Jasna Lučko in the “Falkensteiner“ hotel in Zadar. The Assistant Minister of Defence on the occasion stated “This event has gathered respectable verification experts; we hope to prove the commitment to transparency, openness and relations based on confidence“.
A briefing on the Croatian Armed Forces, on the Croatian Army and the Air Force and Air Defence was delivered for the visitors.
The itinerary of the visit of the OSCE representatives also includes a visit to the Training Range “Eugen Kvaternik” near Slunj on 5 October.
The visit was conducted as part of the commitments of the Republic of Croatia as the signatory to the Vienna Document, and the visits of the representatives of the member countries to military bases are a confidence and security building measure.
Vienna Document 2011 on confidence and security-building measures is politically binding for all members of the OSCE.
The Republic of Croatia has participated in more than 100 various activities on the territories of other member countries and received over 50 inspections respectively. The verification system under the Vienna Document sets out two types of verification – the inspections of the specified area and evaluation visits to the specified units.