Speaking at a joint news conference with the Croatian Military Chief-Of-Staff, Lieutenant General Drago Lovric, General Bartels said it was an honour to be here.
Lovric said the talks with Bartels discussed the topics most important to the Croatian military and NATO - the ISAF and KFOR operations, the possibility of setting up Smart Defence's airspace control in the region, and how to improve troop training and preparation for operations.
Bartels said that despite financial limits, Croatia played a key role in many Smart Defence projects in the region.
He said Croatia provided good support to the ISAF mission in Afghanistan and showed strong commitment to the KFOR mission in Kosovo.
Bartels said NATO was willing to help in the implementation of the Kosovo agreement, congratulating Belgrade and Pristina on reaching it. He said the agreement was a big step forward for regional stability and security.