ZAGREB, February 17, 2018 – Croatian Defence Minister Damir Krstičević has invited NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg to visit Croatia and thus be acquainted with the preparedness of the Croatian Armed Forces.
“I have invited him to visit Croatia to gain an insight into what we are doing to upgrade our defence system,” Krstičević told reporters in Munich on Saturday when he met with Stoltenberg on the margins of the ongoing security conference in that German city.
Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković is due to hold talks with Stoltenberg in Brussels next week.
Currently, Croatia’s defence budget amounts to 1.32% of GDP, which is below the target of 2% percent set by the alliance. It is the United States that insists that NATO’s European members increase their budget allocation for the defence.
Last year, Plenković’s government halted a trend of decreasing investment in the defence sector and increased the funds intended for the armed forces and troops taking part in UN- and EU-led peace missions.
Krstičević held meetings with delegations from the USA and Great Britain, too, on the margins of the international conference in Munich.
Croatia’s Foreign and European Affairs Minister Marija Pejčinović Burić is also attending the Munich event.
