Members of the 12th Croatian contingent (HRVCON), who served in the Resolute Support Mission in Afghanistan, returned to Croatia on Tuesday evening, marking the end of the Croatian Armed Forces' participation in that NATO-led mission.

The welcome ceremony for 61 Croatian troops and 37 members of the partner-countries’ armed forces (Montenegro, North Macedonia and Albania), was attended by President and Armed Forces Supreme Commander Zoran Milanovic, Defence Minister Mario Banozic, the Armed Forces Chief-of-Staff, Admiral Robert Hranj, and the military attaches of the United States, Montenegro and Albania.

“The time has come for Croatian soldiers to return home after seventeen and a half years. The Croatian Army has been participating in one of the most delicate missions of the kind since March 2003,” said President Milanovic.

He noted that the kind of international military cooperation and presence demonstrated in Afghanistan would continue somewhere else and in some other way, but “the story of Afghanistan has come to an end.”

Minister Banozic said that since 2003 more than 5,500 Croatian troops had taken part in the Afghanistan mission.

“And when someone analyses our contribution to peace building in that war-ravaged country, I am confident they will say that Croatia and its army have given an immeasurable contribution,” said the minister.

He said that Croatia would remain a reliable and responsible partner to its NATO allies but through other activities, operations and missions.

Admiral Hranj said that the Afghanistan mission had proven once again that Croatian soldiers were worthy successors of the courageous Homeland War defenders.

“You have confirmed once again that we belong to a community of professional and trained armies on whose protection and support our citizens, allies and partners can always count,” he said.

The commander of the 12th HRVCON, Brigadier Ivica Matanovic, said his stay in Afghanistan had left a deep impression on him as the Afghanistan mission was the mission in which Croatian troops had given the most concrete contribution to strengthening global stability and peace.

Answering reporters’ questions, President Milanovic said that there was no need to hurry with regard to the Croatian Army’s participation in some other peace missions.

“NATO may make such a request, but the decision is entirely up to us,” he said.

Since the start of Croatia’s participation in the Afghanistan mission in 2003, a total of 5,722 members of the Croatian Armed Forces, including 238 women, have served in the mission.