NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen, who is scheduled to arrive in Croatia on Friday to attend the 7th Croatia Summit in Dubrovnik, told Croatian Television on Wednesday that he was satisfied with the way Croatia had embraced the new NATO's "smart defence" concept which was discussed at the recent NATO summit in Chicago.
Croatia is already implementing an important example of smart defence as part of the Adriatic Charter - the training of police forces in Kabul, Afghanistan, Rasmussen said.
He also commented on the Croatian government's doubt whether or not it was necessary to purchase new combat aircraft or repair old ones, stressing that the most important thing was to have the necessary capacities at one's disposal and seek international and not only national solutions.
Rasmussen also commented on the recent statements by new Serbian President Tomislav Nikolic which were a cause for concern in the region. The NATO secretary general said the region's concern was justified given its recent history, stressing however that Nikolic had made improvements in his public statements and expressed full commitment to European integration processes.
