ZAGREB, 27 April 2022 - The statements by President Zoran Milanović about the blockade of Sweden's and Finland's bids to join NATO have led NATO members to believe that Croatia has changed its foreign policy, Foreign Minister Gordan Grlić Radman said on Wednesday.

Milanović said on Tuesday that the Croatian Parliament "must not ratify any country's accession to NATO" until neighbouring Bosnia and Herzegovina changed its electoral law, adding that he considered Finland's and Sweden's bids to join the alliance "a very dangerous adventure".

Grlić Radman said the president's statement had prompted a number of calls, and that he had discussed the matter with his Finnish counterpart on Tuesday and with his Swedish counterpart on Wednesday.

"With these calls we tried to contain the damage done to Croatia's international political image," the foreign minister said, noting that Milanović's statement has been quoted by all leading foreign media and "all NATO countries have expressed great concern."

"They always think that Croatia has changed its foreign policy if its president said that," he added.

Unlike Prime Minister Andrej Plenković, who said on Tuesday that Milanović should block the two countries' accession at the forthcoming NATO meeting if he thought he was "a tough guy", Grlić Radman said no such veto was provided for and "even if it were, it would be political embarrassment." 

After a country applies for NATO membership, the national parliaments of the member states must adopt an act of ratification proposed by the government, the foreign minister noted.

Grlić Radman said that the membership of Sweden and Finland, which are already compatible with alliance standards, should be separated from the electoral reform in Bosnia and Herzegovina which the Croatian government "strongly supports.".

Finland and Sweden have Croatia's "undoubted and unreserved" support, and their accession to NATO is a major challenge to them, given their tradition of political neutrality for centuries and the Russian military invasion of Ukraine which has nearly changed the world order, Grlić Radman said.

In his telephone calls with the foreign ministers of Sweden and Finland, Grlić Radman also touched on the issue of Bosnia and Herzegovina, saying that Croatia has their support and understanding. 

He told Swedish Foreign Minister Ann Linde, who recently visited Sarajevo, that Bosnia and Herzegovina was "a security, political and emotional" issue to Croatia because the ethnic Croats there were "squeezed between Serb separatism and Bosniak unitarism."

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25 April 2022 - Croatian President Zoran Milanović on Monday sent a letter to his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron, congratulating him on his re-election and noting that Croatia and France are "friends and allies."

In the second round of presidential elections on Sunday, Macron defeated his rival Marine Le Pen.

"I am confident that in your new term in office you will continue to work for the overall progress of your country and the wellbeing of all its citizens," Milanović wrote in the letter.

"Croatia and France are friends and allies and our countries share a number of interests and cooperate successfully both bilaterally and within the EU, NATO and other international organisations," the Croatian president added.

ZAGREB, 22 April (2022) - President Zoran Milanović on Friday held a separate commemoration at the Jasenovac concentration camp site on the occasion of the 77th anniversary of Jasenovac Breakout Day.

The breakout was made on the morning of 22 April 1945 by the last 600 prisoners and about 100 survived.

The Jasenovac Memorial Centre has documented the names and details of 83,145 people killed at Jasenovac where the Nazi-style Ustasha regime had run the camp for 1,337 days during the Second World War. Most of victims were ethnic Serbs (47.627), Roma (16.173) and Jews (13.116).

During his commemorative event held at 9 am Friday, Milanović laid flowers and pebbles in front of the centre's monument "A Stone Flower".

On Thursday, commenting on the planned separate commemoration, Milanović said that he would go there with his aides rather than with government officials, whom he accused of encouraging Ustasha-related outbursts and then pretending to be liberals.

Friday's commemorative ceremony, which is being organised by the Memorial Centre, will be attended by government officials and representatives of the Antifascist Alliance and the Serb and Roma minorities, while the Jewish community, dissatisfied with the authorities' treatment of the Ustasha salute and insignia, will again organise a separate commemoration a few days later.

Milanović said that he would join the Jewish community in its commemorative event on 28 April.

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ZAGREB, 21 April 2022 - President Zoran Milanović said on Thursday he was honored to be boycotted by such people as cabinet ministers after Prime Minister Andrej Plenković said his cabinet would sever all communication with the president for the rest of his term, except in writing, due to a stream of invective from him.

"Unfortunately, it so happened that I had to call them a gang, which they are because they have been sentenced for it," Milanović said during a visit to the Klovićevi Dvori Gallery in Zagreb.

Commenting on Plenković's statement that Milanović had done damage to Croatia's foreign policy, the president today wondered why Plenković, who, he said boasts of his own great influence in Brussels, had not used that influence for the benefit of the Croats in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Milanović also retorted that by doing nothing for the Croats in Bosnia and Herzegovina, who are currently in an unenviable situation, PM Plenković committed high treason.

As for the commemoration in Jasenovac, Milanović said he would go there with his aides rather than with government officials, whom he accused of encouraging Ustasha-related outbursts and then pretending to be liberals.

For more, check out our politics section.

ZAGREB, 13 April 2022 - Croatian President Zoran Milanović said on Wednesday Serbia's decision to buy a Chinese anti-missile system was incomprehensible to him and that such weapons "cost but don't make a difference," calling on Serbia to choose "very clearly" where it belongs.

"I don't know who will attack them," he told the press in Rijeka. "They are not a NATO member, they don't want that. They have lost a patron overnight. It's a very traumatic awakening... and now they are buying some Chinese systems which are probably copies of Russian systems, probably a class weaker... That's incomprehensible."

Serbia recently received a Chinese anti-missile system and the West fears that the amassing of weapons in the Western Balkans at the height of the war in Ukraine could threaten peace and stability in the region.

"Croatia won't attack them, America won't attack them. If it attacks them, that (anti-missile system) is of no use at all," said Milanović.

Such weapons "cost but don't make a difference," he said, adding that he does not understand such a policy. "I'm not condemning them. I'm looking in surprise."

"Will Russia attack them? No. America? That's of no use. Croatia? It won't," Milanović said, calling on Serbia to choose sides.

In 2020, U.S. officials warned Belgrade against purchasing HQ-22 anti-aircraft systems, saying that if Serbia really wants to join the European Union and other Western alliances, it must align its military equipment with Western standards.

"Serbia must choose, but it's very clear where it belongs," Milanović said, recalling that Serbia recently supported ousting Russia from the UN Human Rights Council.

"I'm glad that my neighbour has opened his eyes and if he will finally be a member of the Western community of peoples and states," he said, but added that he does not "want to spite Russia" by saying so.

Milanović also commented on the French presidential election and supported the re-election of Emmanuel Macron, who is competing against far right leader Marine Le Pen. "The president in France will probably stay the same, I hope, but he won't get as many votes as he did five years ago."

"Forty-five percent of the citizens of an old democracy are voting for Le Pen, who is announcing that she will pull France out of NATO if she becomes president," Milanović said, adding that "everybody does not think the same, everybody does not have the same values, the same view of the world and the relations between states."

For more, check out our dedicated politics section.

ZAGREB, 7 April 2022 - Sanctions imposed by Western countries on Russia will not stop the war in Ukraine, Croatian President Zoran Milanović said during a visit to Switzerland, adding that the war could be stopped only with the help of diplomacy.

"These sanctions will not be enough to stop the war," Milanović said at a news conference after meeting his Swiss counterpart Ignazio Cassis.

The Croatian president said that having followed "the stock exchange in Moscow and the ruble that has returned to the level of a month ago in relation to the dollar", he had to conclude that "as in every such case, it unfortunately only encourages thugs."

"I would be happiest if Russia withdrew in an hour, if it simply left, but that won't happen," Milanović said, adding that the only way to stop the war is diplomacy, with mediation by the countries "that enjoy a certain level of trust."

There are just a few such countries in the world, he said at the end of the news conference, without specifying them.

"Croatia cannot do much in Ukraine," but it can do much in the Western Balkans, he said, adding that he and his Swiss counterpart discussed the topic at Cassis's suggestion.

"That concerns us directly and we have good intentions," Milanović added.

The Western Balkans is very important for Europe's stability and its security architecture, the Swiss president, a liberal and physician by profession, said.

Cassis said he was particularly moved to talk about that with the Croatian president and that it took him back to the time when he worked as a physician in Switzerland, working also with completely traumatised victims of war from Bosnia and Herzegovina.

After their meeting, the two presidents participated in a panel on security challenges in Europe and Switzerland's neutrality, after which they were expected to visit CERN, the European organisation for nuclear research.

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ZAGREB, 2 March 2022 - If Europe had had a stronger role, maybe the war in Ukraine would not have happened, President Zoran Milanović said on Wednesday, expressing support for Ukrainians who are defending themselves against the Russian invasion.

"I feel terribly sorry this has happened. One cannot say anything else but express support for a successful defence," Milanović told reporters during a visit to Pakrac, where he attended an event commemorating the 31st anniversary of the start of the Homeland War in the area of that western Slavonian town.

"It is practically impossible to take a big city without completely destroying it. If someone is willing to defend it," Milanović said, recalling that the Iraqi city of Mosul had been defended for eight months before it fell.

Close to 700,000 Ukrainian refugees have arrived in the EU.

The Croatian president said that it was a question for the government if Croatia was ready to take in Ukrainian refugees, noting that he could say that "we are morally ready for it."

"There is an information blockade. The Russian side is releasing what it wants, and that is very little. The other side actually does not know anything," Milanović said, adding that Croatian ambassadors could not do much either, notably the ambassador in Moscow because Russia shared little information.

PM Andrej Plenković said earlier on Wednesday that Croatia's Ambassador to Ukraine, Anica Djamić, had left Kyiv and was on her way to Lviv.

Milanović said that "one should always be concerned" when anyone threatens the use of nuclear weapons, and that that "would be the end of the world" but he does not think that that is happening now.

Answering a reporter's question, Milanović said that he had not spoken to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, adding that he did not know how it could help and that it was too late to send peace messages.

"I would not want the conflict to move to cities because if it does, it will become horrible," he added.

Milanović expressed confidence that the war could be ended only by Ukraine and Russia or Russia and the USA, adding, "This is their conflict".

"If Berlin and Paris had been in charge, and they could not do it, war would not have happened...the Minsk Agreement was not implemented, who is to blame?" he said.

"If Europe had had a stronger role in this, and it was incapable of it, this conflict might not have happened," said Milanović.

There is no threat to Croatia

Milanović noted that PM Plenković should not have said that the level of the army's preparedness had been raised.

"That has caused alarm in the public. This is a serious matter... the level of the army's readiness has not been raised and will not be in the current circumstances. The army operates as in normal conditions, there is a slightly higher degree of protection, but that is within the remit of the Armed Forces' Chief-of-Staff," Milanović said, explaining that "this means one more guard."

"That has nothing to do with a more serious or any threat to Croatia. That has not occurred for the time being and will not occur," he said.

Milanović noted that at present he did not see any reason for holding a session of the National Security Council, and that Croatia should focus more on the rights of Croats in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

BiH, Kosovo deserve EU candidate status, too

The presidents of Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia said in an open letter on Monday that Ukraine deserves the prospect of immediate EU membership.

In addition to Ukraine, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo, too, deserve EU candidate status, Milanović said today.

"I was willing to sign (the letter) only if that status was granted to Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo," with the latter not having been recognised by all EU members, said Milanović.

He added that Croatia "wishes BiH well" and that Sarajevo should understand that.

Milanović also called for making a decision to launch accession talks with Albania and North Macedonia "which the EU has been mistreating for years", noting that this "is equally important to Croatia as is Ukraine."

In a direct message to Bosnian Serb leader Milorad Dodik, Milanović said that "it would be good if they returned to BiH institutions" and that he could soon phone him.

"Republika Srpska cannot get out of BiH, that's impossible... They belong in the West, the the Serb people belong in the West, not in Russia," he added.

As for Belgrade, Milanović said that now was time for it to decide where it belonged, "whether it is the EU or Russia, for sentimental reasons which I can understand."

Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić is not giving in to pressure from the West and does not want to introduce sanctions against Russia but has said that Serbia respects the territorial integrity of Ukraine.

For more on the Ukraine crisis and Croatia, as well as breaking news, follow our news section.

ZAGREB, 25 Feb 2022 - Croatian President Zoran Milanović said on Friday that big states like Russia were "potential monsters" which should be taken seriously, as should their potential to harm others.

Speaking to the press, Milanović said "all big states are potential monsters" and "should be taken seriously. Their potential to cause damage should also be taken seriously."

"Today it's Putin, tomorrow it will be someone else. One should always take account of that and understand that Russia is not Serbia. Russia is not even France, but much bigger and more different than us," Milanović said.

In Russia, "it's simply darker, it's not democratic and the rules of life are different," he said, adding, "We must see to it that we protect out way of life."

He reiterated that Ukraine should not join NATO, saying this military alliance "must be an exclusive club, inviting only the best."

"It's up to us to assess where we go, who we include and, most importantly, how much it can cost us and how much it can cost small Croatia and its small army."

As for the deployment of Croatian troops in NATO countries, Milanović said it would be optimal if they were deployed in Hungary, and that he felt the conflict spreading to NATO member states "is not even remotely possible."

Milanović said he stood in solidarity with Ukraine but that he did not want the war there to divert the focus from the necessary electoral reforms in Bosnia and Herzegovina so that Croats can elect their representatives.

"I sympathise with Ukraine, but this other thing concerns our vital interests. I expect solidarity there, too. There will be no shooting, there will be no war, there will be no killing, but there will be rude obstruction."

"I don't want that focus to be lost because there is no time," he said, referring to the fact that BiH should hold general elections towards the end of the year.

No danger of Ukraine crisis spilling over to the Balkans

Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković has said that other "regional hegemonists" could use Putin's aggression as an excuse for their own aggressive moves, which some have understood as a reference to Serbia.

Milanović said that Serbia's leadership, which has not yet condemned Russia's aggression against Ukraine, was "on pins and needles" and "waiting to see what will happen."

He said Belgrade did not have the capacity for aggressive action. "What will it attack, Kosovo?... Such things should be explained. Who is being referred to, (Bosnian Serb leader Milorad) Dodik? With what weapons, what ammunition, what money? With whose logistical support?"

"Russian planes can't fly over NATO member states' territories, they can't even come to this region across Bulgaria and Romania. Such things unnecessarily cause tensions and disturb people," Milanović said.

According to him, Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić is in a difficult situation due to "the burden... of the wars in the Balkans" and cannot recognise the pro-Russian separatist republics in east Ukraine because that would justify the recognition of Kosovo.

Milanović said the EU was treating Albania, North Macedonia and Montenegro irresponsibly, creating "illusions, that is delusions, that something will happen." "If we will lie to them, then it's better that we don't promise anyone anything," he added.

He said Georgia's European perspective was an "adventurist policy" because Georgia "must have good relations with Russia, regardless of who is in power."

ZAGREB, 25 Feb 2022 - Croatian President Zoran Milanović said on Friday that he supported the sanctions which the EU had decided to impose on Russia over its aggression on Ukraine, explaining that there was no other alternative, however, he does not believe that the sanctions will be efficient.

The sanctions are necessary, no other alternative has existed, he told a news conference, and then added that "unfortunately, sanctions do not work" and will not stop the Russian army from continuing to invade Ukraine.

After a month ago he stated that the crisis in Ukraine "is happening in the antechamber of Russia" and that "one must reach a deal that will take account of the security interests of Russia," which was interpreted as Milanović's understanding for Russia's demand that Ukraine should not apply for the membership of NATO, Milanović today said that Ukraine in NATO "is not a topic".

Had that been made clear in the past, perhaps, the situation would have been better now, however, all that is not the justification for Russia's aggression, he said.

Developments in Ukraine serious but not dangerous for Croatia

Concerning the interests of Croatia, the president said that the situation in Ukraine was serious but not dangerous for his country.

"This is an unpleasant situation, but you can stay calm," Milanović said at the news conference.

Concerning the proposal of Prime Minister Andrej Plenković for convening a meeting of the Croatian Council for National Security on Friday before Milanović took part in the video summit meeting of NATO so as to inform the president about the relevant topics, Milanović said that one should wait for a few more days and see how the situation could unfold. Therefore he said that the session of the council could be later held.

"I do not need instructions before the (NATO) meeting. He (Plenković) and I are in permanent contact, and it is sufficient for the time being," Milanović said.

Milanović also said that for him the alliance's decision to schedule a video summit meeting does not show the necessary level of seriousness and insisted that NATO should have organised a face-to-face meeting in Brussels.

ZAGREB, 18 Feb 2022 - Croatia embarrassed itself by not spending any of the post-earthquake reconstruction money, so Brussels charitably extended the deadline, but is denying charity to Croats in Bosnia, President Zoran Milanović has said, blaming that on the incompetence of the foreign minister and the premier.

It's not a "total embarrassment," just an "embarrassment, he said on Friday, commenting on the European Commission's decision to extend the deadline until June 2023, to spend the money from the European Solidarity Fund for the post-earthquake reconstruction of Zagreb.

The president said reconstruction took time and that he accepted that not all the money could have been spent because "that's impossible."

Milanović said he had defended the government from attacks for the slow spending of those funds, but added that the government "has practically not absorbed anything" and that he "would have been proud had we utilized 50%."

He said that in Brussels Prime Minister Andrej Plenković "had to buttonhole someone, sponge" and that perhaps they laughed at Croatia and said, "give them this charity."

However, he said, Croats in Bosnia and Herzegovina "can't be in a situation to ask for simple moldy charity."

They must not be accused of being a disruptive factor because BiH cannot exist without them, Milanović added.

For months he has been accusing the government of not being successful in Brussels in defending the demands of Croats in BiH for changing the election law in order to stop the Bosniak majority from electing their Presidency member and deputies in the Federation entity's upper house.

As an EU member state, Croatia has its vote and can oppose Brussels' decisions, he said.

Zagreb has not exercised that right to defend Croats in BiH, the president said, pointing the finger at Foreign Minister Gordan Grlić Radman.

Croat representatives will have "my full support," Milanović said, adding that the Croatian government "can" and "must" block elections in BiH unless the election law is changed as demanded by local Croats.

He said it was unacceptable of foreign diplomats to say that the elections would be held regardless.

Criticisms against foreign minister

The president also commented on the failure to appoint Croatia's military envoy to NATO, saying that he was being asked only to sign the appointment, without directly participating in the process.

He said the foreign minister was the reason why he and the prime minister had not decided, even after six months, to relieve of duty all the ambassadors whose four-year terms had expired.

Milanović added that Grlić Radman "will do everything just to be liked by his boss."

He dismissed claims that Croatia does not have ambassadors because he, as the president, was pushing members of the Social Democratic Party as candidates.

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