Zagreb - Sabor Speaker Gordan Jandroković on Monday received NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, drawing his particular attention to the potential destabilisation of southeast Europe and underlining the importance of the Alliance in countering the influence of other actors in the region.
"Jandroković and Rutte discussed the security situation in south-eastern Europe, during which the Speaker of the Croatian Parliament particularly pointed to the worrying potential for destabilisation in the region and to the importance of the role of NATO and the European Union in curbing the influence of other international actors," reads the statement issued by the office of the Croatian Parliament head after his meeting with Rutte..
The two official agreed that, in light of changes in the global security environment, it is necessary to continue investing in boosting European defence capabilities and industries.
As far as Croatia is concerned, they said that its geostrategic position and infrastructural capacities represent a "significant contribution to achieving the Alliance’s objectives, particularly in terms of securing key supply routes, strengthening energy security, and enhancing military mobility and resilience".
Jandroković told the NATO Secretary General that Croatia is closely monitoring the geostrategic and military situation and is enhancing its defence capabilities, noting that in 2025 it invested more than 2% of GDP in the defence sector, with one third of that amount allocated to modernisation.
"Croatia will continue to increase defence spending so that it reaches the level of 5% of GDP by 2035," in line with the decision adopted at last year’s NATO summit, Jandroković said, according to the statement.
The Speaker of Parliament also reiterated Croatia’s support for Ukraine at the meeting, saying that Croatia remains ready to share with Ukraine the experience gained during the 1991-1995 Homeland War, "particularly in the areas of humanitarian demining, the prosecution of war crimes, veterans’ care, and the peaceful reintegration of occupied territories".