Bozinovic with ambassadors of Slovakia, Norway and Japan

Slovak Ambassador Roman Supek, at the beginning of the talks, congratulated the Minister Bozinovic on his new duty, transmitting him the official greetings of the Slovak Minister of Defence. During the talks current friendly cooperation between the two countries was confirmed and also the possibility of improving cooperation in the defence area was emphasized. Minister Bozinovic thanked for the support of the Slovak Republic on the path to Euro-Atlantic integrations, emphasizing that examples and experience of the Slovak Republic during the EU accession can be useful for Croatia, “because of the size of two similar and neighbouring countries and since we can share common values in the EU and NATO”. They also discussed the cooperation in defence industry, where it was highlighted the possibility to exchange experiences especially in equipping members of the armed forces of the two countries according to NATO standards.

During today’s meeting of Minister Bozinovic and the Ambassador of the Kingdom of Norway Henrik Ofstad, they discussed bilateral defence cooperation between Croatia and Norway, with an emphasis on continued cooperation in the area of the coast guard. Minister Bozinovic especially emphasized the value of experience of the Norwegian initiative that deals with the possibilities of institutional connectivity between countries of the region on Coast Guard issues. “The experience of the Nordic countries in regional cooperation is a good example for Croatia in the transfer of experiences to the countries of the region regarding the Euro-Atlantic integration”, Bozinovic said. Speaking about the Croatian experience in the ISAF mission in Afghanistan, Minister Bozinovic informed Ambassador Ofstad on the recent decision of the Republic of Croatia to take a leading role in establishing the School of Military Police in Afghanistan. In this context he stressed that the Republic of Croatia proposed the inclusion of countries from the region in this initiative. “This will be another contribution to the gradual taking of greater responsibility of Afghan security forces for the stability of their country”, Minister Bozinovic concluded. Ambassador Ofstad expressed satisfaction with the bilateral military cooperation and willingness for further cooperation and exchange of experiences in all areas.

In today’s meeting between Defence Minister Davor Bozinovic and Ambassador of Japan Yoshio Tamura, talks were on the reforms in the defence system, adoption of new defence strategic documents, and special emphasis has been on the exchange of experiences between the two countries regarding the participation in peacekeeping mission in Afghanistan. Ambassador Tamura pointed out the possibility of considering cooperation in joint projects of a humanitarian character, and to assist civil institutions in Afghanistan, for example through the joint construction of hospitals and schools. Minister Bozinovic said that the ISAF mission was a priority for the Republic of Croatia and that Croatia is making its contribution to the efforts of the international community to establish their sustainable Afghan security forces. In this context, he pointed out the recent decision of the Republic of Croatia on taking the lead in establishing a school of military police in Kabul. Ambassador Tamura at the end thanked for previous cooperation, and emphasized that Japan supported Croatian accession to the EU.