Austrian Ambassador pays inaugural visit to Croatian MOD
Austria is Croatia’s defence partner. The two countries share a tradition of good cooperation, Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Anušić said
On Thursday, 29 February 29 2024 Ambassador of the Republic of Austria to Croatia Josef Markus Wuketich paid an inaugural visit to the Croatian Ministry of Defence and was received by Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Ivan Anušić.
The meeting participants reaffirmed the good and friendly relations between the two countries, emphasising a high level of mutual understanding and common interests in the field of stabilisation and further Euro-Atlantic integration of the Southeastern European countries.
“Austria is Croatia’s defence partner. The two countries share a tradition of good cooperation,” Minister Anušić said, adding that in today’s challenging times we should focus on Western values and unity, and strengthen relations with partners and allies.
Referring to Russia’s brutal aggression against Ukraine, he said that Croatia supports territorial integrity of Ukraine, pointing out that the Croatian Government has adopted a total of nine decisions to donate military equipment and ammunition to Ukraine worth over 185 million euros.
“Croatia remains committed to provide strong support and assistance to the Euro-Atlantic perspective of the Southeastern European countries which is key to long-term stability of this part of Europe,” Minister Anušić said.
The Minister also talked about the current CAF equipping and modernisation projects. “Our main goals are: improvement of the overall conditions of our units, and CAF modernisation,” he said.
Bilateral defence cooperation between Croatia and Austria has been established mostly in the area of military education and training, via the exchange of instructors and special forces, and in the KFOR operation to which the Austrian Armed Forces make a significant contribution.
With respect to multilateral organisations and initiatives, the two countries also cooperate through the CEDC initiative. Within the framework of the European Union, Croatia and Austria jointly participate in three PESCO projects. The one that particularly stands out is “CBRN Surveillance as a Service” in which Austria is also the project coordinator. The other two projects include “Deployable Military Disaster Relief Capability Package” and “Military Mobility”. The two countries will also participate in Germany-led EUBG 2025.
