NATO Secretary General discusses security in the Western Balkans with the Croatian Prime Minister
NATO’s Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg welcomed Prime Minister of Croatia Andrej Plenković to NATO Headquarters on Thursday (11 March 2021).
The Secretary General thanked Croatia for its valuable contributions to NATO’s operations, missions and deployments in Kosovo, Iraq, the Baltic Sea Region, as well as to NATO’s Readiness Initiative and NATO’s Standing Naval Forces. “The diversity of your contributions shows Croatia’s commitment to NATO’s agenda” he said. He further expressed appreciation for the medical support that Croatian armed forces have been providing to NATO’s multinational battlegroup in Lithuania during the COVID-19 pandemic.
He also welcomed Croatia’s increased defence spending towards the 2% of GDP goal and its strong support for NATO-EU cooperation and partnerships in the Western Balkans.
During their meeting, the Secretary General and the Prime Minister discussed current security challenges in the region. On this occasion, Mr Stoltenberg reaffirmed NATO’s continued commitment to security and stability in the region, including through the Open Door Policy and support for defence reforms.
