Macedonian Defence Minister visits Croatian MoD

The two ministers discussed the current situation from the aspect of the integration of the countries of the region into NATO and the EU respectively, as well as the forthcoming NATO Summit, NATO’s  “Open Door Policy” and joint engagement in peace support operations. On the agenda were also the projects conducted within the US-Adriatic Charter and the co-operation of the Army of the Republic of Macedonia with the Croatian companies.
Following the meeting the Minister Kotromanović praised the high-quality defence co-operation between the two countries, further expanded by the visit .
“We have discussed three key segments of  our relations: the exchange of the experience in military education and training, the opportunities for the military and technical co-operation and the joint engagement in the Operation ISAF”, stated Minister Kotromanović and added that the Republic of Macedonia enjoyed strong support from the Republic of Croatia in its NATO- and EU-integration efforts.

The Macedonian Defence Minister, Talat Xhaferi shared the view on the quality of the bilateral co-operation and stated that his country was committed to the joint engagement in ISAF. “The military and technical co-operation should also be fostered within the context of the “Smart Defence” Initiative, cutting the costs to both sides”, said Minister Xhaferi.

The Macedonian delegation is also paying the official visit to the President of the Republic of Croatia, Ivo Josipović and to the Speaker of the Croatian Parliament, Josip Leko, followed by the visit to the Aeronautical Technical Centre in Velika Gorica, to the “Đuro Đaković” Holding and to “Borovo” factory in Vukovar scheduled for 29 January 2014.