President Milanović: I expect Judge Mirta Matić to be confirmed as President of the Supreme Court
The President of the Republic Zoran Milanović confirmed on Tuesday that he will nominate Judge Mirta Matić for the position of President of the Supreme Court. “I will nominate her; she is a person of high reputation, just like her predecessor and the late Judge Dobronić. I am careful about what I sign. I think this is a good proposal and that she will receive a majority in the Parliamentary Judiciary Committee. I expect Ms. Matić to be confirmed,” said President Milanović, commenting on the session of the Parliamentary Judiciary Committee scheduled for Friday to hear candidates for the Supreme Court presidency.
He believes Judge Matić will also receive support from the HDZ in Parliament, because “the Prime Minister has not said he is not impressed, which means the candidate is OK.” “I think she is more than OK. This was all agreed in advance, which does not mean it is illegal or unfair, but rather correct and quite reasonable. And that is the only way it can work,” added President Milanović.
When asked whether the agreement on ambassadors would be finalized by the end of the year, President Milanović said: “I accept and respect the right and duty of the Prime Minister, as one of the two constitutional actors, to decide and assess who is capable and suitable to represent Croatia abroad as an ambassador or consul general. But I have the same right and duty. I ultimately sign the credentials. But before that, a co-signature is required – co-decision is possible if the rights of both are respected.”
President Milanović reiterated that when proposing candidates for ambassadors, he limited himself to only a quarter of the nominees, which “is quite a concession and compromise.” “These are people I consider good and adequate to represent the Republic of Croatia at that level. The Prime Minister must choose the remaining three-quarters of the candidates. Just as I respect his right and duty, he must respect mine. I will not comment on many of the candidates he proposed, but I am not impressed. I have said my piece, and now it is up to the Prime Minister to decide. My associates and I will not back down, and we are not discussing names. It cannot happen without agreement,” said President Milanović.
Journalists also asked him about the plan to demolish the Vjesnik skyscraper, which was damaged in a fire. President Milanović said it should be demolished as soon as possible because if it collapses, someone could be injured. “Of course, there are also municipal issues and city congestion, but I am not responsible for that,” he added.
Regarding the situation with the Serbian Oil Industry (NIS), which faces closure due to U.S. sanctions and the inability to supply crude oil, President Milanović said: “Croatia has more pressing concerns, and that is INA. Croatia will certainly not buy NIS.” He added that he had discussed energy and JANAF’s role in the matter with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban. “They have their own position, and I advocated the Croatian position. What the Hungarians do depends on their standing from Washington’s perspective. Serbia is clearly not in favour; it will have to decide whether to face sanctions or sell NIS. I do not want to interfere; that is their business. Croatian JANAF is there to provide services and collect compensation,” he said.
On the situation in Ukraine and the current attempt to reach a peace agreement proposed by U.S. President Donald Trump, President Milanović emphasized: “Without advice to anyone, the slaughter must stop.” He added, “This catastrophe in Ukraine is the handiwork and joint responsibility of Washington and Moscow. They caused it, each in their own way, over the past 15 years. This is a war on Ukrainian territory between Moscow and Washington, and it can only be resolved by their agreement. Every next step in the unravelling of this catastrophe for Ukraine proves that it will be decided by those who caused the conflict and forced one unfortunate and devastated country into it.” He noted that he has made this point repeatedly over the past months and years.
He criticized European politicians who oppose the peace plan and advise Ukraine not to accept it: “I ask those who advise Ukraine not to accept this, or say that accepting anything is out of the question: have they fought in a war? Does anyone have the right to make that decision except the Ukrainians? Let them decide. Zelensky wanted to negotiate with the Russians in Istanbul and Minsk back in 2022. He was prevented by agents of chaos who kept telling him – fight, we are with you as long as it takes – until they changed their minds,” said the President, reiterating that only Washington and Moscow can negotiate peace, not Berlin or Paris.