On the occasion of participating in the International Conference on Afghanistan, Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration Gordan Jandrokovic visited 20 July 2010 in Kabul members of the 15th Croatian Armed Forces ISAF Contingent.
On the occasion of participating in the International Conference on Afghanistan, Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration Gordan Jandrokovic visited 20 July 2010 in Kabul members of the 15th Croatian Armed Forces ISAF Contingent.
Minister Jandrokovic visited in Kabul the multinational camp of the countries taking part in the ISAF mission, where part of the Croatian Contingent is located as well, containing some 50 members of the Croatian Armed Forces, mostly military police. Talking with the Croatian soldiers, officers and NCOs, he inquired about the living and working conditions, as well as their views on the current situation in Afghanistan.
Croatia has grown from a country requiring international assistance into a one offering it to others, from Kosovo to Afghanistan, said Minister Jandrokovic. Speaking about the reputation that the Croatian Armed Forces enjoy in military circles, he pointed out that it was precisely the combination of the experiences from the Homeland War and the mission to Afghanistan that gave the Croatian Armed Forces an advantage over the other countries in the region, as well as over many other NATO members.
A year after it joined NATO, Croatia has gained more foreign-policy confidence, said Minister Jandrokovic, attributing that in part to the Croatian Contingent in Afghanistan. He thanked the Armed Forces for the concrete assistance they offer to the Croatian diplomats in Afghanistan. As a token of gratitude, he presented to the commander of the 15th Croatian Armed Forces Contingent, Colonel Berislav Jezidžic, a plaque and a latter of appreciation by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration.
Croatia is taking part in ISAF by the UN Resolution 1386 since February 2003. In April this year, the Croatian Parliament reached a decision to send up to 320 Croatian Armed Forces members to ISAF in 2010 and 2011, with a possibility of rotation. Regular rotations take place every six months, and currently Afghanistan is seeing the deployment of the 15th Croatian Contingent (HRVCON). So far, ISAF has seen the participation of more than 2000 Croatian soldiers, along with the personnel from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration and the Ministry of Interior.
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