ZAGREB, December 1, 2019 – Croatia and Germany will co-organise a NATO-EU cooperation conference in Split next June, Defence Ministers Damir Krstičević of Croatia and Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer of Germany agreed in Trogir on Sunday.
The conference of European defence ministers and NATO officials will be held on June 8-9, Krstičević told reporters.
“Germany is the most important partner in security and defence in Europe and strengthening our cooperation is my priority,” he said.
The conference will be a sort of transition between Croatia’s and Germany’s EU presidencies, said Kramp-Karrenbauer.
Croatia offers a unique opportunity for us all to meet as well as prove our common views, she added.
Krstičević said today’s meeting was yet another proof of the real friendship between Croatia and Germany. “The most concrete example of our defence cooperation is the joint participation in operations and missions, from Afghanistan to Kosovo. I’m glad that as of January next year we will again be together in Lithuania under Germany’s leadership.”
Kramp-Karrenbauer underlined Croatia’s role in the region. We know that Croatia paid a high price for its freedom, which is why it has a special perspective and plays a special role in the stability in this region, she said.
She supported EU enlargement and said it was wrong to veto the beginning of accession negotiations with North Macedonia and Albania.
She said the joint role of Germany and Croatia in NATO was important. We consider NATO an important pillar of the security structure within which transatlantic partnership and friendship is extremely important, she added.
It is necessary to enhance and develop security and defence cooperation in Europe, which will be an important topic next year when Croatia and Germany chair the EU, Kramp-Karrenbauer said.
I am firmly convinced that it will be an excellent presidency of the Council of the EU, she said of Croatia’s presidency in the first half of 2020.
After Croatia, she is visiting Kosovo and Afghanistan. Croatian troops are important mission partners to German troops, with valuable experience, and we can learn a lot from them, she said.
More news about Croatia and NATO can be found in the Politics section.
