Croatian Defence Minister Damir Krsticevic and British Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson confirmed after talks on the margins of a NATO summit in Brussels on Thursday that the two countries would continue strengthening their defence cooperation, the Croatian Defence Ministry said in a statement.

The two ministers said they were satisfied with the growing cooperation between the two countries’ armies and agreed on concrete steps to strengthen that cooperation.

It was agreed that the two ministries’ expert teams would define, by October this year, specific proposals for further cooperation on which the two ministers will make a decision at their next bilateral meeting, expected to take place in Croatia.

The Croatian and British defence ministries signed a memorandum of understanding in early 2017, which was followed by closer defence cooperation between the two countries. A few months ago, the Croatian Army and the Royal Marines held a joint exercise, and cooperation has also been established between the two navies and air forces, reads the ministry statement.

Minister Williamson said Croatia’s progress was a positive sign for Southeast Europe and expressed an interest in Croatia’s experience in the process of improving regional security and stability.

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