Minister Bozinovic with ambassadors of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Austria

Ambassador Raspudic in his address thanked the Republic of Croatia for the help provided in the process of Euro-Atlantic integrations, adding that Bosnia and Herzegovina gave Croatia its full support for the signing of pre-accession agreement with the EU and full membership in the EU, and that Croatia’s entry into the EU would be significant for the whole region . He also thanked the Ministry of Defence at the present bilateral cooperation, especially regarding the education of BiH Armed Forces’ members at the Croatian Military Academy “Petar Zrinski”. The existing bilateral defence cooperation between the two countries was estimated to be very successful at all levels, and discussion was also on cooperation within regional initiatives – within the Regional Centre for Peace Support Operations in Butmir in Sarajevo and the Centre for Security Cooperation (RACVIAC) in Rakitje.
During the meeting they also discussed further involvement in the ISAF mission in Afghanistan, where soon the Republic of Croatia should take a leading role in establishing the School of Military Police, and in this context Ambassador Raspudic stressed the readiness of BiH to send its instructors. “The value of this initiative is that together we will make important contribution to the ISAF mission, which is to train Afghan security forces”, Minister Bozinovic said.
They also discussed the cooperation in the field of military industry, with an emphasis on the possibility of presentation of the Croatian military industry products and equipment, and the Croatian military-industrial cluster this year in Sarajevo.

During the meeting of Minister Bozinovic and the Ambassador of the Republic of Austria Jan Kickert the discussion was on bilateral defence cooperation between Croatia and Austria, with emphasis on previous joint experience in participation in UN and NATO peacekeeping missions, such as UNDOF on the Golan Heights, KFOR Kosovo, etc. It was emphasized that the two main areas of cooperation in common security and defence policy were related to engagement in the EU battle groups, where Croatia and Austria in early 2012 jointly participate with their forces, and further involvement in operations under the auspices of the EU.
They also pointed out the willingness for further cooperation in the preparation of the armed forces of the two countries to participate in international peacekeeping missions.