ZAGREB, March 30, 2018 - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has welcomed the Croatian government's decision to buy 12 used and upgraded Israeli F-16 fighter aircraft in a package worth 500 million dollars, and described this project as a step that will strengthen the ties between Israel and Croatia.
Reporting about Zagreb's decision to approve the purchase of 12 used Israeli F-16 fighter aircraft, the Haaretz daily reports on Friday that the "the deal was agreed at a meeting between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the prime minister of Croatia Andrej Plenković at the World Economic forum in Davos in January."
"The deal, which includes the training of pilots in Israel, aircraft armament, a training simulator and the construction and equipping of facilities at Croatia's military airports", will be implemented by the Israeli Ministry of Defence, in cooperation with the Israeli Air Force along with Elbit and Israel Aerospace Industries, according to the Israeli newspaper.
Netanyahu was quoted as saying that "the deal shows the strength of the Israeli defense industry and strengthens the existing ties between Israel and Croatia," notably in the fields of security, defence, and economy. "The Israeli defense industry proves, once again, that it is the best in the world," he said, underscoring that "this deal will strengthen Israel's air force and Israel's security at large."
Croatia's Defence Minister Damir Krstičević was quoted as saying, after Zagreb opted for the Israeli bid, that "this is a historic day for the Croatian air force and an investment into the security of the Republic of Croatia."
"If Croatia was a richer country, and if our economy was stronger, maybe we could have picked a more expensive offer,” Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković was quoted by the Israel Defence journal as saying. "But, based on the parameters presented to us by our expert team, we believe that we have made a responsible decision which will meet all the needs of the Croatian air force in the next 30 years."
According to The Jewish Press, Zagreb issued a tender to acquire military jets to replace its outdated Soviet-made MiG-21s last year, and five countries – Sweden, Israel, the United States, Greece and South Korea – submitted bids. "Croatia chose Israel over second-place finisher Sweden, which offered a squadron of new Gripen fighters," the media reported.
Haaretz recalls that Croatia, a NATO member, "faces a mini arms race with Russian ally Serbia, which recently received six used Russian MiG-29 fighter jets."
