15th Conference of A-5 Chiefs of General Staff

Minister of Defence Davor Bozinovic made opening remarks and addressed the present.

In addition to the host, Chief of General Staff of the Croatian Armed Forces, Lieutenant General Drago Lovric, the conference was attended by chiefs of general staff of the US-Adriatic Charter member states – Albania (Major General Xhemal Gjunkshi), Montenegro (Vice Admiral Dragan Samardzic), Bosnia and Herzegovina (Lieutenant General Miladin Milojcic) and Macedonia (Major General Gorani Koteski) and Commander of Allied Joint Force Command Naples and Commander of Naval Forces of the United States, Europe and Africa, Admiral Samuel J. Locklear, deputy commander of U.S. Forces in Europe (U.S. EUCOM), Lieutenant General John D. Gardner and commander of the European Union forces in Bosnia-Herzegovina (EUFOR), Major General Bernhard Bair. The conference was also attended by chiefs of general staff of countries with observer status in the US-Adriatic Charter – Republic of Serbia (General Miloje Miletic) and Slovenia (Major General Alojz Steiner).

In his speech at the beginning of the conference, Minister Bozinovic said that the region has no alternative to cooperation and mutual understanding. In this sense, the US-Adriatic Charter already showed its value. Furthermore, it has played an important role in the Euro-Atlantic integrations in the region and become an instrument of political, security, defence and military cooperation. Furthermore, as a NATO member and soon to be member of the European Union, Croatia will continue to give special attention to regional cooperation, Bozinovic said.
Chief of General Staff Lieutenant General Drago Lovric said he was confident that the Conference would confirm the common interests and objectives of the A-5 member states, as well as of other countries in the region, which are primarily stability and security of the region. Except for the region, collaboration is essential in international peacekeeping operations, where countries can unite their capacities. The best example is the School of Military Police in Kabul, Lovric said.

Chief of General Staff of Albanian Armed Forces, Major General Xhemal Gjunkshi, with the recognition of the importance of the conference and A-5 initiative, said that his country would continue to be dedicated to the promotion of cooperation in the region. Talking about the possibilities of cooperation in the future, Gjunkshi expressed confidence that the smart defence system would be very good solution for small countries like ours.
Deputy Commander of U.S. Forces in Europe (U.S. EUCOM), Lieutenant General John D. Gardner mentioned the main topics that will be discussed at the conference, namely to train for international operations and participation in international operations. Representatives of each A-5 state will share its individual and common experiences.
At the end of the conference a joint statement by the member countries of the US-Adriatic Charter was signed.

US-Adriatic Charter in 2003 was signed by Croatia, Albania, Macedonia and the United States, and in 2008 the initiative was joined by Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro.