The successful participation of Croatian troops in the alliance's missions has been outstanding and the tough reforms carried out before and after joining NATO have been impressive, General Abrial said at the opening of the Strategic Military Partner Conference 2012.

The two-day event drew more than 200 participants, mainly military chiefs-of-staff from member countries of NATO, Partnership for Peace, Mediterranean Dialogue, Istanbul Cooperation Initiative and Partners across the Globe.

They will discuss the conclusions reached at the latest NATO summit in Chicago, security and stability building, the future development of the partnership and a joint initiative in education, training and industry.

Recalling that the strengthening of the partnership was one of the main conclusions of the Chicago summit, Abrial mentioned examples of successful cooperation with non-member countries such as Morocco, Kuwait, Russia and particularly Afghanistan.

Afghans, allies and partners - we have all made big sacrifices for peace and security in recent years and, no less importantly, we have learned how to work together, the French general said.

He said the allies and the partners were united by the same security threats, from cyber attacks to terrorism, the joint care for the maximum use of the resources they invest in defence, and the huge results achieved in peace operations.

Addressing the conference, Croatian President Ivo Josipovic said the current circumstances were not ideal and that it was the joint responsibility of everyone to create conditions for citizens, regions, continents and the whole world to live well.

The security threats surpass state borders and threats in far-off places affect our own security too, he said.

We will be a reliable partner to our allies. The security of our countries is key for the political, social, economic, scientific and all-round progress of our societies, the President said.