Defence Minister Ante Kotromanovic participated on 2 and 3 February 2012 on the regular two-day informal meeting of defence ministers of NATO member countries in Brussels, Belgium.
Defence Minister Ante Kotromanovic participated on 2 and 3 February 2012 on the regular two-day informal meeting of defence ministers of NATO member countries in Brussels, Belgium.
The ongoing reform of NATO, KFOR operation in Kosovo and ISAF in Afghanistan, NATO missile defence, Alliance deterrence and defence posture and the concept of Smart Defence were discussed at the meeting.
During the meeting of defence ministers of NATO member countries special attention was devoted on discussions regarding NATO's role in relation to Afghanistan. In this sense, progress through the transition process was discussed and debate was about the Allied efforts in that country after Afghan forces takes responsibility for security of their country. It is expected that progress in achieving the objectives of the transition would gradually allow for the main focus to be put on the development of Afghan security forces, where the Croatian contingent deployed in the ISAF mission already have engaged the most of its efforts.
As for the KFOR operation and the security situation in Kosovo, KFOR activities in fulfilling the UN mandate and cooperation with the European Union's EULEX mission were supported. The important role of KFOR in maintaining the security environment for all inhabitants of Kosovo was emphasized. It was also pointed out that, with the aim of further normalization, both sides must take steps to continue with a dialogue.
Ministers of defence, in preparation for the upcoming Summit of NATO Heads of States and Governments, discussed progress of multinational projects and initiatives, as well as wider conceptual aspect of the "Smart Defence", a multinational approach to building capabilities. The ministers also discussed the AGS project (Alliance Ground Surveillance), missile defence and Air Policing. Most of the Ministers stressed that in times of financial crisis, multinational cooperation was key to retaining existing capabilities, but also to build new capabilities of the Alliance. The need for cooperation between NATO and the EU in terms of their initiatives (NATO Smart Defence and EU Pooling & Sharing) in order to avoid unnecessary duplication and expenditure of limited resources was also stressed.
On the second day, ministers continued session first with the countries participating in KFOR mission in Kosovo and after with the countries participating in the ISAF operation in Afghanistan.
On the sidelines of a ministerial meeting in Brussels, Minister Kotromanovic held bilateral meetings with Minister of Defence of the Czech Republic Alexander Vondra, and with the Minister of Defence of the Republic of Austria Norbert Darabos.
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