CROATIAN DEPUTY DEFENCE MINISTER RECEIVES EUCOM DELEGATION

ZAGREB, Jan 22 (Hina) - Croatian Deputy Defence Minister Lieutenant General Kresimir Cosic on Friday received a delegation of the EUCOM (United States European Command) for talks on the cooperation between the armies of Croatia and the United States. These meetings are held annually to assess progress in the cooperation between Croatia and the EUCOM, which began four years ago, as well as to draw up guidelines for the future. At the Zagreb meeting we concluded that much had been done in the previous period, and we agreed on concrete steps aimed at enhancing our cooperation in the mutual interest, Gen. Cosic said. He explained that the cooperation had been realised through the work of the joint teams consisting of U.S. skilled officers, officers of the Croatian Army's Headquarters and Defence Ministry. Gen. Cosic added that the results achieved so far in this cooperation had been very important to his country, as they were a sort of compensation for not still including Croatia into the Partnership for Peace as a member-state. He said the Croatian military and the Defence Ministry were making progress in accordance to expectations and plans drawn up a few years ago. The head of the EUCOM delegation, Brigadier Leonardo Hernandez, described the cooperation as very successful. We appreciate the opportunity given to us (for the exchange of opinions) as well as the openness of officials and the staff of the Croatian Defence Ministry and the Army's Headquarters, he said. (hina) mm ms