President Milanović: The National Security Council session should definitely be held, but the topics need to be prepared seriously
“The session will definitely take place, there are reasons for it, but we won’t rush because there are very serious topics that need to be prepared,” said the President of the Republic Zoran Milanović today in Vela Luka, commenting on the Prime Minister’s proposal to convene sessions of the National Security Council and the Defense Council. “The Council is a coordinating body that, in practice, does not make any executive decisions. I am here, Plenković is here, and if anything is needed, I am available whenever necessary. We will prepare the session thoroughly because there are important issues and topics that require serious discussion,” he added.
Speaking about the session’s topics, President Milanović said: “Anything can be on the agenda, and we can discuss any important matter concerning international peace and security, war and peace, that relates to Croatia.”
The President reminded that the Prime Minister had rejected his proposal to hold a session of the National Security Council four times and added that he now accepts the Prime Minister’s proposal. “He proposed it, I accepted. It will happen soon, but not next week,” President Milanović said.
“I only discuss the situation in the military with Plenković. My only serious interlocutor is the Prime Minister, and his associates can be welcome partners in dialogue if the conditions are right,” President Milanović stated, commenting on public discussions regarding the situation in the Croatian Army. When asked by journalists whether such discussions were troubling the public, President Milanović replied that the public is also disturbed by “the statements of the Israeli ambassador in Zagreb, as well as the Prime Minister’s letter to the NATO Secretary General.”
“That letter mentions a Chinese missile that Serbia allegedly possesses, so we will discuss that. However, this is not the beginning of Serbia’s armament with offensive, aggressive weapons; they have already acquired an Israeli system with a range of 300 km, a dangerous and lethal weapon, for over a year. That should have been included in the letter to the NATO Secretary General, or it should not have been written at all,” President Milanović warned.
President Milanović believes that foreign policy should also be a topic for discussion at the Council, given that he and the Prime Minister have differing views on Israeli policy. “We should talk about it, but there’s no way for me to change anyone’s mind, and that certainly won’t change. Should I just let the Prime Minister and his aides do whatever they want and keep silent about it?” he asked, adding that when it comes to Israeli policy, “the majority of the Croatian people think the same way.” “Why Plenković and his associates don’t see that, I don’t know. And I have no illusions that this will change through discussion,” he said.
“Don’t expect any tectonic shifts or changes in positions. And if someone believes that Israel is our ally and friend, there’s no help for them. That’s my stance, as is the position that Croatia should have recognized Palestine,” President Milanović concluded.