ZAGREB, December 17, 2018 - Croatian National Security Council met on Monday to discuss relations with neighbouring countries in light of migration, and it decided to establish cooperation between Croatian security and intelligence agencies and partner services in foreign countries.

A statement issued by the President's Office said that the meeting, the second this year, was convened by President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović, who also serves as Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces, and Prime Minister Andrej Plenković.

The Council discussed information security and, with regard to non-classified information, it adopted two decisions and one recommendation for state authorities, mostly to raise the awareness, knowledge and efficiency of state institutions. It also discussed relations with neighbours and migration trends in the region.

The Croatian National Security Council approved cooperation with security and intelligence agencies in partner countries and adopted annual guidelines for the work of the security and intelligence agencies for 2019 and the annual plan for the work of the coordinating body of the homeland security system for next year, the statement said.

Although unofficial sources in the President's Office and the government had previously announced that among the topics to be discussed at the meeting would be the so-called fake text messages affair, there was no mention of it in the statement.

The scandal concerns the fabrication by former police IT specialist Franjo Varga of false text messages between former chief state prosecutor Dinko Cvitan and a judge in the trial of former Dinamo Football Club boss Zdravko Mamić. The purpose of the false correspondence was to show that Cvitan tried to exert pressure on the judge to convict Mamić.

In his deposition to investigators, Varga also spoke about his cooperation with former HDZ leader Tomislav Karamarko and his deputy Milijan Brkić as well as with former Agrokor owner Ivica Todorić and presidential defence and national security adviser Vlado Galić, who had introduced Varga to Karamarko.

Media reports have said that Grabar-Kitarović was also involved in the affair and that she attempted to topple the government of Prime Minister Plenković. She has resolutely dismissed such speculation.

Galić stepped down as presidential adviser last week, citing "moral and ethical reasons", and Grabar-Kitarović accepted his resignation.

Another issue that was to be discussed by the National Security Council was problems surrounding the agreed purchase of F-16 fighter jets from Israel.

More news on the national security issues can be found in our Politics section.

ZAGREB, December 14, 2018 - President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović would not comment on the resignation of her defence and national security adviser Vlado Galić on Thursday.

Speaking to reporters in Velika Gorica, just south of Zagreb, the president said she would accept Galić's resignation, who had given "ethical and moral reasons" for his decision, but she would not say whether his resignation was prompted by the fake text messages scandal.

"According to what Galić told me, he has nothing to do with what he is being accused of," Grabar-Kitarović said, adding that the investigation was being treated as confidential and she could not go into it.

Asked if she would seek clarification of allegations that a coup and the resignation of Prime Minister Andrej Plenković had been demanded in her name, the president said she would request reports from relevant services. "I think that an attempt to replace the prime minister is a very serious matter, which is furthest from my mind. I want to hear if there is any concrete information indicating that attempts were made to create a new scandal," Grabar Kitarović said.

The president does not think Defence Minister Damir Krstičević should step down over problems relating to the delivery of Israeli F-16 Barak fighter jets, saying that she cannot see how he is responsible for that.

She, however, noted that Croatia had no time to waste. "Considering the state of our Air Force fleet, we need to act fast," Grabar-Kitarović said, adding that the 2013 overhaul of the MiGs was poorly done and that "soon we won't have any MiGs that will be able to take off, and we also need to keep the pilots."

Grabar-Kitarović confirmed she had talked with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday, adding that he said he was working with the US to resolve the matter. The president said that US officials she had spoken with had expressed their principled support for the project, but she did not go into details of the deal with them.

The deputy speaker of parliament and deputy leader of the ruling Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) party, Milijan Brkić, said on Thursday while commenting on the resignation of presidential defence and national security adviser Vlado Galić, that he did not want to take part in "this circus of lies and fabrications".

"It is regrettable that in this country it is not important who committed crimes and who was convicted, but who met whom and who had a coffee with whom. I don't want to take part in this circus of lies and fabrications," Brkić told Hina.

Presidential defence and national security adviser Vlado Galić stepped down on Thursday, citing "moral and ethical reasons". President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović has accepted his resignation, her office confirmed to Hina.

Galić's name was mentioned by the chief suspect during an investigation into the so-called fake text messages scandal. The scandal concerns the fabrication by former police IT specialist Franjo Varga of false text messages between former chief state prosecutor Dinko Cvitan and a judge in the trial of former Dinamo Football Club boss Zdravko Mamić. The purpose of the false correspondence was to show that Cvitan tried to exert pressure on the judge to convict Mamić.

In his deposition to investigators, Varga also spoke about his cooperation with former HDZ leader Tomislav Karamarko and his deputy Milijan Brkić as well as with former Agrokor owner Ivica Todorić and presidential adviser Vlado Galić, who had introduced Varga to Karamarko.

More news on the national security issues in Croatia can be found in our Politics section.

ZAGREB, December 13, 2018 - President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović's advisor on defence and national security, Vlado Galić, has resigned for moral and ethical reasons, and the President has accepted the resignation of the national security advisor, sources at the Office of the President confirmed to Hina on Thursday.

The resignation comes in the wake of the fake text message scandal in which police have arrested former police IT expert Franjo Varga on the suspicion that during the trial of former Dinamo football club executive Zdravko Mamić, his brother Zoran, former Dinamo director Damir Vrbanović and tax official Milan Pernar at the Osijek County Court, Varga made fake text messages for Zdravko Mamić purportedly showing correspondence between former chief state prosecutor Dinko Cvitan and a judge involved in the trial. The purpose of the fake correspondence was to show that before the non-final ruling in the case, Cvitan tried to pressure the judge into making a sentencing verdict.

In his deposition to USKOK anti-corruption agency investigators, Varga also spoke about his cooperation with former Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) leader Tomislav Karamarko and his deputy Milijan Brkić, as well as former Agrokor owner Ivica Todorić and President Grabar-Kitarović's advisor Galić, who introduced Varga to Karamarko.

Another person who has been in custody in this case is Blaž Curić, a chauffeur for Agriculture Minister Tomislav Tolušić and close friend to HDZ vice-president Milijan Brkić. Curić was arrested on the suspicion that he informed Varga that he was under investigation and was about to be arrested.

More news on the text messages scandal can be found in the Politics section.

ZAGREB, November 29, 2018 - Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović on Thursday most resolutely denied any possibility of her "alleged involvement in an alleged plan" to topple Prime Minister Andrej Plenković's government and said that it would be a political coup against state institutions, particularly the institution of the President, Grabar-Kitarović's office said in a press release.

"Croatian President most resolutely denies any fabrication of her alleged involvement in the alleged attempts to topple the Andrej Plenković government. The President believes that that fabrications alone, based on statements that have not been verified by the relevant institutions, amounts to a direct political coup against Croatian state institutions and in particular against the institution of the President," the press release said.

Due to unverified information released in certain media outlets, President Grabar-Kitarović on 26 October made a proposal to Prime Minister Plenković to convene the National Security Council "however, to this date, she has not received a reply to that proposal."

"Croatian President believes that it is impermissible that the relevant state institutions have failed to react to the release of information which is being the subject matter of a confidential investigation. Therefore, the President expects all the relevant bodies to inform the National Security Council about the activities undertaken to clear up this affair and to identify the masterminds and the objectives of that scandal, but without undermining the confidentiality of the investigation," the press release said.

For more on the president’s activities, click here.

ZAGREB, November 23, 2018 - A two-day regional security conference on security challenges in Europe opened in Zagreb on Thursday, bringing together government officials from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Slovenia and representatives of the German Institute for Security Policy.

The conference was organised by the Regional Arms Control Verification and Implementation Assistance Centre (RACVIAC) - Centre for Security Cooperation and the Konrad Adenauer Foundation with the support of the Institute for Development and International Relations.

The regional security conference was opened by presidential defence and national security adviser Vlado Galić, who said that global security challenges such as terrorism and illegal migration have become challenges to many states which, being responsible members of the international community, should give their contribution to eradicating such phenomena.

He said that there are a lot of security challenges that are important for stability and security in Southeast Europe, adding that both stability and security are affected by developments in the region and by distant processes in the globalised world.

"The stability of Southeast Europe is a vital interest for the national security of Croatia and all countries in Southeast Europe," Galić said. He added that he is confident that these countries are following with concern "the processes and numerous challenges that meet and overlap" in the region.

Galić said that these challenges can be viewed through the influence of third parties on the countries of Southeast Europe, through the influence of radical political ideologies and through the influence of global processes such as uncontrolled mass migration and terrorism.

Opening remarks were also made by RACVIAC director Jeronim Bazo, the head of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation in Croatia, Michael A. Lange, German ambassador to Croatia Robert Richard Klinke, and the state secretary at the Croatian Ministry of Defence, Zdravko Jakop.

This year's regional security conference is the sixth in a series of activities aimed at discussing transformation processes in Southeast Europe with regard to institutional readiness and responsibility for membership of NATO and the EU, particularly taking into account necessary reforms in the security sector in the context of contemporary security challenges.

Speaking to the press after the opening ceremony, Galić declined to comment on the so-called fake text messages affair, following media reports that he had contacted the suspect Franjo Varga several times. Varga, a former police IT specialist, has been remanded to custody on suspicion of fabricating text messages for former Dinamo Football Club boss Zdravko Mamić, which he was to use as evidence of pressure being put on judges in his case to convict him. Media have also linked Varga to the deputy leader of the ruling HDZ party, Milijan Brkić.

For more on the Western Balkans region, click here.

ZAGREB, October 27, 2018 - The date of the next National Security Council session, which will include discussion on the Croatian border, will be defined next week with President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović, Prime Minister Andrej Plenković told the national broadcaster HTV on Friday evening.

Asked if he knew what the president had decided regarding being the candidate of the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) in the election run for another term as head of state, given that the party asked Grabar-Kitarović to state her intentions by autumn, Plenković briefly said "yes", without revealing what the president had decided. "It is up to her to say that. When the time comes, she will inform the public about her decision," the prime minister said.

"We did not yet agree on the date of the session of the National Security Council and we will discuss that next week, once we return to Zagreb. After that, a trip to China is scheduled so the National Security Council will be convened either next week or in 15 days," Plenković said.

President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović said on Thursday there were already plenty of topics for discussion by the National Security Council and that she was "constantly proposing" that the Council convened. Speaking to reporters, she said the Council must convene sooner or later. "Four times a year, as agreed. And if the Council convenes, don't think there is a state of emergency in the country."

Asked about the migrant situation at the Maljevac border crossing, Plenković said Croatia was strengthening its capacities to protect the border and it respected the agreement with the European Union.

The migrant influx, following a large migrant wave in 2015/2016. is down 98%, Plenković said adding that together with its EU partners, Croatia has strengthened the protection of the EU external border. He also said that Croatian Interior Minister Davor Božinović was constantly in contact with his Bosnia and Herzegovina counterpart and the relevant EU commissioner regarding the situation at the Maljevac border crossing.

The Maljevac border crossing between Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia remained closed on Thursday morning after a large group of migrants attempted to cross the border illegally on Wednesday, and the Croatian police spent the night on alert, but did not need to intervene.

On Thursday morning, the migrants were 150 metres away from the borderline and were under the control of Bosnian police.

For the latest on politics in Croatia, follow the TCN Politics page.

ZAGREB, September 27, 2018 - Commenting on the "fabricated text messages" affair, the head of the parliamentary home affairs and national security committee Ranko Ostojić of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) warned on Wednesday that "information involving the investigation is leaking" and that there was a possibility that some powerful people were using their position of privilege and privileged information for showdowns within their party, which was very dangerous for national security.

ZAGREB, May 28, 2018 - Prime Minister Andrej Plenković said on Monday that the National Security Council meeting had gone very well and added that the Hotmail scandal had not been discussed at that meeting.

ZAGREB, May 28, 2018 - Croatia's National Security Council met on Monday to discuss issues relating to information security in state institutions, highlighting the need for systematic training in order to raise security awareness and strengthen security culture.

ZAGREB, May 22, 2018 - Croatian Defence Minister Damir Krstičević on Monday held a lecture on Croatia's national security strategy at Rider University in Lawrenceville, USA, which is the first time Croatia's homeland security system was presented in the United States, the Defence Ministry said in a statement.