(Hina) - NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said in Dubrovnik on Friday that Croatia was an example to other countries in the region to which NATO's door would remain open if they met the membership criteria and implemented the necessary reforms.
Croatia's membership in the EU and NATO shows how a lot can be achieved if great efforts are made. Croatia has become an example to others and can help its neighbours to whom the door remains open if they meet the criteria and implement the reforms, Rasmussen told a press conference ahead of a meeting of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly.
Before the meeting, he met separately with senior Croatian officials and thanked them for Croatia's strong support to NATO's peace operations in Afghanistan and Kosovo.
I thank Croatia for its strong and committed support to NATO and the role it plays in its operations, in its debates on the future and in building dialogue in the region, Rasmussen told the press after talks with President Ivo Josipović, Parliament Speaker Josip Leko and Foreign Minister Vesna Pusić.
Josipović said that Croatia as a small country made a great contribution to UN and NATO peace missions, highlighting the alliance's importance in promoting democratic values. "Croatia, as a member of the alliance, makes important policies with its partners to ensure peace in the world," he said.
Leko said that it was very important to Croatia that NATO continue its "open door" policy towards countries in the region. "That is not an irresponsible policy. Each country needs to fulfil the criteria for NATO membership," he said, adding that Croatia was ready to share its experience from the accession process with them.
Pusic said that Croatia was actively assisting Bosnia and Herzegovina in launching a new cycle of preparations for membership, was cooperating with Montenegro and supporting Macedonia's membership aspirations.
Speaking of Croatia's involvement in the ISAF mission in Afghanistan, Pusić said that it was best illustrated by the fact that Croatia's first woman general, Gordana Garašić, has become an adviser on gender issues in that NATO-led operation.
Rasmussen congratulated the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) on winning the Nobel Prize for Peace, saying that it was an important encouragement to the organisation that has been assigned the task of destroying Syrian chemical weapons.