Croatian President participated in a security forum in Canada.
“Today’s world needs more NATO, not less”, said on Saturday Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović, adding that she expected that US President-elect Donald Trump would continue cooperation within NATO, reports Večernji List on November 20, 2016.
President Grabar-Kitarović participated in a panel on NATO as part of the International Security Forum in Halifax, Canada. She said that US President-elect Donald Trump, after his inauguration and after he receives more information about international obligations which United States have with NATO, would leave a positive legacy. “I believe that in future we will find a common language, but I agree that we need to fulfil our commitments, starting with Croatia”, said the President, referring to Trump’s statements during the campaign which brought into question founding principles of NATO and urged allies to invest more in defence.
The President pointed out that she attended the NATO summit in Warsaw where she realized that Croatia was one of few countries that did not increase their defence spending. “For me, defence spending is not a cost but an investment, and the fulfilment of international obligations”, said the President. “I am glad to see that the new Croatian government is firmly committed to international obligations and to the new concept of homeland security, and I am encouraged by the fact that it will increase allocations for defence, particularly in areas where it is really needed, such as technology, innovations, and harmonization of our equipment with western and NATO standards”, said Grabar-Kitarović.
President stressed that NATO should accelerate its open-door policy towards new member states. “Montenegro will become a member in a few months, but what about Macedonia? Controversy over name cannot be more important than the security situation”, she said, adding that she would be “the first to welcome Serbia if it joins NATO”, adding that she believes it will happen eventually.
Speaking about Russia, the President stressed that it was necessary to develop “solidarity” and “quick and agile response to Russian actions”. “The mistake we made with Crimea and Ukraine was that we were too slow in our response”, she added. The President emphasized that Russia was not an enemy or rival of NATO, and that it was necessary to cooperate with the country.
