Speaking at a lecture on NATO and Southeast Europe in Karlovac, Babst also mentioned NATO's positive assessments of Croatian institutions' efforts and achievements on the road to NATO membership.
Her visit was organised by NATO's Public Diplomacy Division and the Atlantic Council of Croatia NGO with a view to better informing the Croatian public about the alliance.
Babst said she was not visiting Karlovac because NATO intended to build a base there, but only to inform citizens about what NATO was.
Although being a NATO member is primarily a security issue, membership also means cooperation, including in the economy, she said, adding that only NATO could maintain security in the region.
Becoming a NATO member is only the start of the road of cooperation among member states and Croatia's road of cooperation will depend primarily on the government and local authorities.