Croatian membership in NATO is not an obstacle to acquiring Russian military equipment and weapons, and Croatia will choose what is most favorable for it, said Croatian President Ivo Josipović after meetings with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov during the Munich Security Conference.
“We also discussed possible cooperation in the field of military equipment and weapons, and it is important to emphasize that our membership in NATO is not an obstacle to such cooperation,” said Josipović.
Croatian media speculate that there is a problem regarding the acquisition of Russian aircraft for the Croatian military, but Josipović says there are no incidents or misunderstandings. “Croatia will choose the model that is best for us, and the Russian side has no objections in this regard,” said the president.
Lavrov and Josipović also discussed the situation in the region because, according to Josipović, Russia strongly supports peacekeeping concepts in the former Yugoslavia.
“Russia and Croatia want to further develop relations in the fields of economy and tourism,” said Josipović. Croatia will become a member of the European Union in less than six months, which will mean a new chapter for relations between Russia and Croatia, he said. “I hope our governments will use our EU membership for the benefit of cooperation between our two countries,” says Josipović. Josipović will participate in a panel on security and stability in Southeast Europe and the Caucasus, as the emergence of new crisis hotspots has diverted the international community’s attention from these two regions. “The topic is the region; I will talk about the situation in the region and our efforts to stabilize the situation, to resolve all possible disputes, and to ensure that Southeast Europe is absolutely a zone of peace and cooperation,” announced Josipović.
