President Milanović at Send-Off Ceremony of Croatian Troops to NATO’s KFOR Mission in Kosovo: Why can there be no Croatian officers in the EUFOR Mission in BiH?
The President of the Republic and Commander in Chief of the Croatian Armed Forces Zoran Milanović attended a send-off ceremony of the 37th contingent of Croatian troops (HRVCON) participating in the NATO-led KFOR mission in the Republic of Kosovo.
At the send-off ceremony held at the “Pukovnik Predrag Matanović” barracks in Petrinja, President Milanović told members of the Croatian contingent that they were professionals who would perform their duty and tasks professionally and well.
“Kosovo is an internationally recognized state. Serbia doesn’t accept that, and as it is, it won’t anytime soon. But we don’t interfere in that policy more than what we did many years ago, when we recognised Kosovo. Not in order to spite Serbia, as that is not the way I see foreign policy or Croatia’s behaviour in the world, but in order to reward Kosovo for everything it had been through,” said the President of the Republic.
“I hope that we will soon be present in a small and symbolic number also in the EUFOR mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina, from which we are kept at a distance,” said President Milanović, adding that he considered this unacceptable and irritating after 25 years. “We haven’t thought about that yet, but I set myself the task of clearing it up and getting an answer from those deciding on it – why no Croatian officer can be in that mission. Until I get an answer to that question, I won’t stop repeating it,” said the President of the Republic.
Attending the send-off ceremony of the 37th contingent of Croatian troops participating in the NATO-led KFOR mission in Kosovo apart from the President of the Republic and Commander in Chief of the Croatian Armed Forces Zoran Milanović were the Chief of the General Staff of the Croatian Armed Forces Admiral Robert Hranj, Commander of the Croatian Army Lieutenant General Boris Šerić, envoy of the Minister of Defence and Adviser to the Minister of Defence for Military Affairs Brigadier General Perica Turalija, Chief of Staff – Deputy Commander of Support Command Brigadier General Ivan Raos, Commander of the Croatian Army Guards Mechanized Brigade Brigadier General Dražen Ressler, Deputy Commander of Operations Command of the General Staff of the Croatian Armed Forces Colonel Robert Suntešić, Head of the Current Operations Department of Operations Command of the General Staff of the Croatian Armed Forces Colonel Siniša Ciglenečki and Commander of the Intelligence Regiment Lieutenant Colonel Zvonimir Rogić.
Adviser to the President of the Republic for Defence and National Security Dragan Lozančić and Head of the Military Office Rear Admiral Predrag Stipanović were alongside the President of the Republic and Commander in Chief of the Croatian Armed Forces Zoran Milanović.
PHOTO: Office of the President of the Republic of Croatia / Marko Beljan