ZAGREB, August 26, 2018 – Croatian President and Armed Forces Supreme Commander Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović spoke during a visit to Camp Marmal in Mazar-i-Sharif, Afghanistan, on Saturday about current political processes affecting the security situation and the importance of civil society for launching the necessary changes in the country.
Grabar-Kitarović was visiting Croatian soldiers stationed in Mazar-i-Sharif who are about to complete their six-month stint in NATO’s Resolute Support mission in the country.
More than 100 members of the Croatian Army advise Afghan military and police forces as part of the noncombat operation launched in 2015 and involving 16,000 troops from 39 countries – NATO member states and their partners.
Grabar-Kitarović expressed satisfaction with the cooperation between the Croatian contingent and German troops in Afghanistan.
At Camp Marmal she met with the commander of Train, Advise and Assist Command-North (TAAC-N), German Army Brigadier General Gerhard Ernst-Peter Klaffus, and the civilian representative for TAAC-N, Karsten Diethelm Geier.
They informed the Croatian president of the security situation in their area of responsibility and the progress made in the development of capabilities of Afghan security forces. Klaffus expressed great satisfaction with the professional conduct and motivation of members of the Croatian contingent under his command.
Grabar-Kitarović and Klaffus underlined the importance of coming parliamentary elections for the stabilisation of the situation in Afghanistan and expressed satisfaction with the voter registration rate so far. Parliamentary elections in the country are set for October, however, the Taliban, Sunni Islamic militants and mostly members of the Pashtun majority, have said that they will not take part in them.
During a visit to Kabul on Friday, Grabar-Kitarović said that she expected a political solution to be found for the Afghan conflict and that the Taliban would have to demonstrate more moderate positions during the process.
Croatia, a member of NATO since 2009, has participated in missions in Afghanistan since 2003.
