Premier Nikola Gruevski met Wednesday with Croatia's Minister of Defense Ante Kotromanovic.

The interlocutors praised the countries' excellent relations pledging to keep on improving them in every field of mutual interest.

The two countries share common strategic goals for effective realisation of European and Euro-Atlantic integration, regional development and prosperity, they concluded.

PM Gruevski congratulated Kotromanovic on Croatia's accession to the European Union voicing hopes that Croatia's support for the Macedonian bid to join the EU and NATO would continue.

The two officials underscored the positive political dialogue and bilateral defense cooperation as an example of successful collaboration. Joint engagements as part of the Adriatic Charter, backed by the United States, were welcomed.

Gruevski and Kotromanovic expressed their readiness to improve military cooperation both at bilateral and multilateral level.