"Croatia has emerged from its own difficult history in the 1990s to become a real contributor to regional stability and international security," US embassy in Zagreb said in a statement on Monday released to mark the country's tenth anniversary of its membership in the NATO alliance.

Croatia had become full member of the military alliance on April 1, 2009, together with Albania, as NATO’s 27th and 28th member countries. Since then, Montenegro joined in in June 2017.

“Ten years ago today, the Republic of Croatia joined the NATO Alliance. Since that time, Croatia has unwaveringly undertaken the commitments and obligations of membership on multiple fronts. Our soldiers have served shoulder to shoulder in places like Afghanistan, Poland and Kosovo. Croatia’s contributions to international security are not limited to NATO. For example, Croatia recently made a significant troop contribution to the UN Peacekeeping mission in Lebanon. We will continue to partner together in NATO Missions such as Enhanced Forward Presence in the Baltics and Resolute Support in Afghanistan and we commend the Croatian government for our excellent military cooperation,” the embassy said.

On Saturday, state agency Hina cited Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic as saying that Croatia had proved to be a reliable ally and would continue its present policy.

“It’s good for our security and our contribution to security both regionally and globally,” Plenkovic said.

According to Defence Ministry data, more than 6,700 Croatian soldiers and military personnel had taken part in various NATO-led international missions since 2003.

At the moment, the country has 104 soldiers stationed in Afghanistan, another 80 serve as part of NATO deployment in the Enhanced Forward Presence mission in Poland, 33 are part of the KFOR peacekeeping mission in Kosovo, and another seven are stationed in Iraq.

“Croatia’s commitment to the Alliance over the last ten years has significantly expanded peace and prosperity throughout the region, Europe and the world. We are pleased to celebrate this important milestone in Croatia’s and NATO’s history,” the US embassy said.

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