Swedish Defence Minister is on a visit to Zagreb.
President of Croatia Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović has received Swedish Defence Minister Peter Hultqvist today, the Minister is on a bilateral visit to Croatia. During the meeting, attended by Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Damir Krstičević, the two sides said that bilateral relations between the two countries were excellent. Issues of future defence co-operation, including the submission of a Swedish bid to equip Croatian Air Force with SAAB Gripen aircraft, were also discussed, announced the Office of the President, reports tportal.hr on September 26, 2017.
In this regard, the President emphasised that the submissions of all invited bidders, given the significant budgetary resources which are to be invested in the acquisition of the new aircraft, must guarantee the long-term sustainability of the entire project and include a way of returning part of the funds to the Croatian economy.
In the context of the current global security situation, the meeting confirmed the similarity of Croatian and Swedish views on the main security challenges, and President Grabar-Kitarović thanked Minister Hultqvist for Swedish engagement and contribution to NATO activities.
Minister Hultqvist presented the current Swedish efforts in strengthening its security sector and defence system, aimed at addressing the current security challenges in Europe.
The issue of threats to stability in Southeast Europe has also been addressed, as well as the need for further active Euro-Atlantic expansion in this part of Europe, according to the statement.
Croatian Prime Minister Plenković also met with the Swedish Minister. They discussed the cooperation in the field of defence and security within the European Union in the context of current security challenges. The experience of Swedish experts has helped Croatia in drafting the recently adopted strategic documents – the National Security Strategy and the new Law on the Homeland Security System. Sweden is an important economic partner of Croatia, especially in trade, investment and tourism, the government said. It also noted that some 35,000 Croats and their descendants live in Sweden, representing an additional link between the two countries.
Translated from tportal.hr.
