The organisers said this was the largest meeting of military police in the world, pooling 35 participants, including 25 military police from 15 countries, members of NATO and Partnership for Peace.
The event, to last until September 16, will focus on the exchange of experience in international peace-keeping and peace-enforcing missions.
The meeting was opened by Assistant Military Police Chief Branko Katalenic, who said that Croatia was a young state which in a relatively short period of time during the Serb aggression established armed forces from regular and reserve police and volunteer units. After the liberation Homeland War, Croatia changed in a short period of time from a country hosting international peace missions to a country participating in international peace missions, Katalenic said.
He recalled that Croatia had been participating in UN peace missions since 1999, and that more than 140 people had participated in those missions. Thirty-five Croatians are currently serving in ten peace missions all around the world, Katalenic said.
A Croatian military police platoon is participating in the peace mission in Afghanistan, he said, adding that the parliament recently voted that the mission be expanded to consist of 150 people.
The meeting of military police was also addressed by Deputy Armed Forces Chief-of-Staff Slavko Baric and Marta Nakic Vojnovic of the Foreign Ministry.