Defence Minister Kotromanović attends A5 Defence Ministerial

The main topic of the Ministerial were concerted efforts towards international peace and security.

The ministers also discussed the issues related to promotion of defence co-operation among the A 5 countries, primarily in the framework of regional defence initiatives, continuation of mutual support towards Euro-Atlantic integration and on implementation of defence-related projects within the Smart Defence Initiative.
Croatian Minister in his address to his A5 counterparts reiterated Croatia’s dedication to regional co-operation in Southeast Europe and firm confidence in the future of the region upon its integration into the Euro-Atlantic community  “Completed process of Euro-Atlantic integration of the region placing it permanently and irreversibly into the European and Euro-Atlantic family is the sole guarantee of its lasting and sustainable security and stability“. Following its entry into the EU on 1 July 2013, the Republic of Croatia will continue to support and actively participate in the activities of the US-Adriatic Charter in order to contribute to its strength and realisation of its efforts.

The Ministerial was also the occasion to initiate the discussion on the modalities to promote its functioning and come up with models for closer and more focussed co-operation according to the already existing frameworks such as the Nordic co-operation or the Višegrad Group. Accordingly. the establishment of the A-5 Defence Policy Directors co-ordination was welcomed by the participants, as an important improvement towards greater sychronisation of operation and identification of future feasible projects.

One of the conclusions of the Ministerial was that the US-Adriatic Charter operation could be enhanced through joint engagement in peace missions/operations and joint capability-building multinational projects. This was supported by the examples of the Military Police School in Kabul, joint operation on the Balkan Regional Approach to Air Defence (the „BRAAD“). Minister Kotromanović also wished for the respective agreement among the Republic of Croatia, Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro and the Republic of Macedonia to be signed within a short time.
Discussing the post-2014 engagement in Afghanistan, the A-5 defence ministers agreed that continued co-operation was a logical continuation of the Charter’s achievements so far. Croatian Minister stated on the issue: “I am most glad that the rest of the A-5 members stated their readiness to join the new mission. It is a proof of the shared commitment to the Allied nations efforts and of shared awareness of the need for continuous and focussed support to Afghanistan“.
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