Croatia is a strategic ally and partner to the United States whose contribution and leadership increases the security and stability of Southeast Europe and the rest of the world, US Admiral Samuel Locklear, who also serves as NATO Commander, Allied Joint Force Command Naples, said in Zagreb on Tuesday, announcing further cooperation and military aid to Croatia.
Croatia is getting the deserved credit for participation in the missions in Afghanistan, Kosovo, the Golan Heights and elsewhere in the world. Its commitment to those operations and stronger involvement where possible is an example that should be followed, Locklear told a press conference after meeting Croatian Defence Minister Davor Bozinovic.
The two met before the 15th conference of army chiefs of staff of the US-Adriatic Charter countries, which was taking place in Zagreb under the title "Multinational training and participation in international operations".
Locklear said that the US was very proud of its cooperation with Croatia. He said that this year the US had given Croatia 9.7 million dollars' worth of equipment for Croatian troops in Afghanistan, 24 million dollars for mine removal operations, and over 200,000 dollars for the equipment of military training grounds.
Locklear praised Croatia's defence industry, citing the recent overhaul of the Sixth Fleet flagship USS Mount Whitney in Rijeka's Viktor Lenac shipyard, worth over 12 million dollars.
"We are proud of Croatia being a strategic partner to the US, with which we share the same values and with which we work together on maintaining peace throughout the world, in Afghanistan, Kosovo and Libya," Bozinovic said, congratulating Locklear on a brilliant operation that deposed the Muammar Gaddafi regime in Libya. Croatia took part in the operation with two officers.
The US-Adriatic Charter countries are: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, and Montenegro, while Serbia has observer status. Their chiefs of staff will be discussing cooperation in the Afghanistan mission, the transfer of knowledge, the pooling of defence resources in the circumstances of reduced defence budgets, and cooperation in the protection of air and sea traffic.
The US-Adriatic Charter was established in 2003 with a view to strengthening security and stability as a prerequisite for the speedier integration of the five countries into Euro-Atlantic institutions.
