A new agreement on defence cooperation was discussed between the Croatian Defence Minister, Damir Krsticevic, and his Austrian counterpart, Mario Kunasek, on Monday in Zagreb. The agreement is expected to be signed this autumn, during Krsticevic’s official visit to Austria.

The agreement in power now was signed in 1998.

The key points of defence cooperation between the two countries are the cooperation of the special forces and the cooperation in the field of education where student exchange was organised on all levels, said Krsticevic.

Although Croatia’s defence industry is small, it has top-quality products, said Krsticevic.

The Austrian army is currently in the process of equipping its reserve force, which is an opportunity for Croatian companies to enter the Austrian market, he added.

The two ministers discussed the return of the MIG-21 fighter jet, which the Croatian fighter pilot Rudolf Peresin flew from an air base on the Croatian-Bosnian border to Klagenfurt in October 1991, defecting from the Yugoslav Air Force, where he served, to the Croatian side in the 1991-95 war. He was the first pilot to desert from the Yugoslav Air Force, and he continued to serve in the Croatian Air Force until he was shot down in 1995.

Legal experts will look into the return of the aircraft, Krsticevic said, adding that he believed it would happen.