During Question Time in parliament, Minister Grabar Kitarovic said Zagreb could expect the invitation at the forthcoming NATO summit.
The next summit of the alliance is scheduled for late November 2006 in the Latvian capital of Riga.
Responding to a question of a Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) member of parliament, the minister said NATO membership remained one of fundamental priorities of Croatia's foreign policy.
This is not only about joining a military alliance but also about embracing basic values of peace and democracy, Grabar-Kitarovic said.
She added that Croatia entered an advanced stage in preparations for joining the alliance, adding that she hoped that efforts which Croatia was making to implement necessary reforms would be recognised.
Transport Minister Bozidar Kalmeta dismissed claims made by a Social Democratic deputy that one of his assistants signed a treaty under which Croatia had given up from its right to control its air space and thus lost about 30 million euros annually.
Kalmeta said Croatia had signed that agreement on European Airspace Coordination (CEAC) in 1997 but it had never ratified the document.
The agreement has never become a reality given that Slovenia also has not ratified it, while Italy is abandoning it, he said.
Croatia will continue talks on the matter and consider all possible advantages it may have from it, the minister added.