Minister and Chief of General Staff visit Afghanistan

In Kabul Minister Krstičević and the delegation were welcomed by Colonel Dražen Sebastijan, the Commander of the 5th HRVCON to Resolute Support mission.
 
On the first day the Minister visited the Operation Command and met with the members of the HRVCON assigned to command posts, who briefed him on their tasks. The Minister said that the year 2017 would be the year of the Croatian enlisted soldiers, NCOs and officers and that the Ministry of Defence would invest the efforts to upgrade the living and working conditions for the members of the Croatian Armed Forces.

The Croatian officers have performing complex and responsible tasks, but their efficiency was praised by the Deputy Commander of Resolute Support mission, Lieutenant General Sandy Storrie, during a meeting with the Croatian Minister and the delegation upon their arrival to Kabul.
Minister Krstičević met with the Defence Minister of Afghanistan Abdulah Khan Habbibi, with whom he discussed the importance of the contribution from the international community with respect to the development of the institutions in Afghanistan and the country’s stability and security. Minister Habbibi extended the appreciation to the Croatian counterpart for the visible engagement of the Croatian Armed Forces in the achievement of these goals.
“I was proud to hear the words of praise for the members of the Croatian Contingent from the Defence Minister of Afghanistan and from the officials of the Resolute Support mission. The Croatian soldiers have become a brand, and the Republic of Croatia has gone the way from a recipient of peace forces and humanitarian assistance to a credible and reliable provider of support aimed at development and an important contributor to the global security and stability. My view is that the Armed Forces need to take part in the operations and missions of the kind, as it upgrades their capabilities as well”.
The Minister Krstičević also stated that strategic development-focussed co-operation between Afghanistan and Croatia paved the way to the development of political and economic relations.
“We discussed the security situation in Afghanistan and the contribution by the Coalition forces in the building of Afghan institutions and stability of the country, I am glad that the Croatian Armed Forces have an important part in the contribution“, said the Chief of the General Staff of the Croatian Armed Forces, General Mirko Šundov.
 
Minister Krstičević and General Šundov are visiting all components of the 5th HRVCON stationed in various locations in Afghanistan.