Austrian-Croatian defence cooperation is exemplary and the visit by Austrian Defence Minister Norbert Darabos is an incentive to make it even better, Croatian Defence Minister Branko Vukelic said after meeting Darabos in Zagreb on Thursday.
"Austria is willing, despite the financial limits due to the economic crisis, to intensify the cooperation (in defence)," Darabos said at a joint news conference.
Vukelic said target areas to improve cooperation in 2011 regarded special units, officer training, logistics, and preparation of officers for peace missions.
Darabos said an example of the defence cooperation was the training of Croatian officers at the Theresian Military Academy in Wiener Neustadt, and the cooperation of Austrian and Croatian troops in the UN peace mission in the Golan Heights.
Croatia is a factor of stability in the region, he said, underlining that Austria welcomed the military cooperation agreement signed by Croatia and Serbia.
"Such cooperation is important for the stability of the entire region and the European Union welcomes those Croatian decisions and efforts, too," said Darabos.
He strongly supported Croatia's path to EU membership.
"We supported and will continue to support Croatia on the road to the EU" and expect "to receive the good news about Croatia's accession to the EU next year," said Darabos.
He began his address to the press in Croatian, which he learned as a Burgenland Croat, saying he was "looking forward to meeting President Ivo Joispovic".
Austria has 350 troops in Bosnia and Herzegovina and 400 in Kosovo.
