President Milanović: As long as I am President and Commander in Chief no one will harass soldiers for politicking purposes
The President of the Republic Zoran Milanović commented today in Delnice on the decision that classes will not be held in schools next week on account of the epidemiological situation, saying that it won’t help. “The people getting sick are those who aren’t vaccinated and I regret that. I urge people to get vaccinated, to help themselves, but we must avoid another lockdown because some people do not want to get vaccinated. I sympathize somewhat, and I understand, but this situation is much more different than a year ago”, the President stated.
“The children have to go to school and they should get vaccinated. I am aware that there are all kinds of views of parents. Schools have to continue working. Should the numbers of more serious patients grow and the intensive care units cannot accept them, then special hospitals should reopen. There are ways, but the problem we are facing at the moment is totally different than last year”, he added.
Regarding the decision to raise the minimum wage, he told the press that it is fine, but that many more things should be increased, and should be considered. “I hope this is not a popular gimmick but part of a well-thought policy. We were in a difficult situation, economic recovery is sluggish, among the slowest in Europe, we absorb the funds poorly and that’s the solution to the problem – to be aggressive in attacking the European funds”, President Milanović said.
The President also commented on the meeting with Milorad Dodik, saying that they discussed getting together as representatives of the peoples, he, Dragan Čović and Bakir Izetbegović, and to try to discuss with “some support from me, Aleksandar Vučić and President Ergoğan, whom I considered contacting and for whom I am confident he would accept”. “However, at this time Mr. Bakir Izetbegović is showing some reserve, and he should explain why. This kind of diverse mediators, envoys leads nowhere. I spoke with Dodik as the representative of the Serbian people”, President Milanović explained.
Asked whether he agreed on a meeting of the Defense Council with Prime Minister Plenković, President Milanović replied that he has accepted one of the suggested dates. “He proposed a number of other topics for the meeting, the guidelines will be finalized by then. The main issue at this time is to convene a meeting of the Defense Council, before the budget is adopted. The fighter jets are not everything. The Croatian Army is the key element, and it must not lack in the things it is lacking because of neglect or amateurism”, the President said.
President Milanović was asked about the use of drugs in the army. “I will consider irresponsible all the commanders who do not pay serious attention to this. This could happen once, but now it is a warning, and it must never happen again, and there must not be people especially in the military who deal drugs”, the President answered.
He characterized Prime Minister Plenković’s behaviour as childish regarding the issue of the retirement of colonel Elvis Burčul, because he said that he would not interfere in the matter. “He will have to talk to his protégé. That man has his guardian who is Andrej Plenković. He will have to settle this with his protégé. If someone decides to play politics, we know what happens, what Mesić did in 2001, but this has not happened since. For me, a soldier is a soldier, committed to a difficult job, retirement conditions are clear, and as long as I am President and Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces, no one will be harassed by petty politicians, therefore this is a problem that cannot be solved by the minister but has to be solved by Plenković. He may not find it important, but one day he will wake up and there won’t be a bora or a south wind, but a tempest in his head”, President Milanović stated.