Defence Minister received Ambassador of Japan

During the meeting it was expressed satisfaction with the cooperation and friendship between the two countries, and Minister Kotromanović said we should be looking for modalities to improve cooperation between Croatian and Japan Ministry of Defence. Two ministers discussed the possible joint training of officers for participation in peacekeeping missions.

On this occasion, Minister Kotromanović thanked Ambassador Tsuji on donations of the Government of Japan for development of civil society in Croatia, through which in 2011 Japan donated about 5 million Euros. The Minister particularly thanked for donations for demining, stressing that Croatia will deal with the problem of mine clearance for the next 15 years, so we value any assistance for these purposes.

Ambassador Tsuji thanked for the support and solidarity that Croatia gave to Japan during the earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan in 2011. He stressed the Croatia’s significant role in the region, as well as membership in NATO and the EU, which in addition to security and stability in the region, sends a good message to the business world and open up possibilities for future business cooperation.

The discussion was also on the recently held NATO Summit in Chicago, where both sides agreed that in the light of recent events in the region, one topic of next NATO summit should be a question of NATO enlargement.