Minister Bozinovic met Secretary General Kyrle from Austrian MFA

They discussed the bilateral cooperation between the two countries in defence and security situation in the Southeast Europe and the situation in countries where the two countries have deployed their armed forces in peace support operations.

Secretary General Kyrle expressed satisfaction with the soon Croatian membership in the EU, stressing that Austria was a strong supporter of this process that besides for Croatia, was significant for the entire region.

Although Austria is not a member of NATO, the Republic of Austria and the Republic of Croatia have been strategic partners in the field of defence cooperation, and members of the armed forces of the two countries regularly conduct annuall joint training programs, workshops and education. Cooperation between the Croatian Armed Forces and the Armed Forces of the Republic of Austria is extremely important for the UN UNDOF peacekeeping mission on the Golan Heights, where 95 members of the Croatian Armed Forces have been deployed as part of the Austrian battalion since 2008.