Press Statement from the Office of the President – Statement by the Chief of the General Staff of the Croatian Armed Forces

The Office of the President of the Republic of Croatia has received a statement today by the Chief of the General Staff of the Croatian Armed Forces Admiral Robert Hranj. For purposes of truthfully informing the public and for the interest of the media, we are publishing in its entirety the statement made by the Chief of the General Staff of the Croatian Armed Forces that has been sent concurrently to the Office of the President of the Republic of Croatia and the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Croatia.

The press statement of the Chief of the General Staff of the Croatian Armed Forces Admiral Robert Hranj reads as follows:

“During the swearing-in ceremony, I obeyed commands that are in accordance with law regulations and an order of the President of the Republic and Commander in Chief of the Croatian Armed Forces, under whose authority was the ceremonial programme. I informed the Defense Minister about the programme. It is untrue that I forbade him or anyone else to speak. I have never refused to obey any decision of the Defense Minister or have never violated any law by any act of mine. My command today to carry out the swearing-in ceremony is based on an order of the President of the Republic and Commander in Chief of the Croatian Armed Forces.

It is untrue that I have offered to resign or have tendered my resignation. Before the ceremony, the Defense Minister asked me to tender my resignation. Soldiers are not allowed to resign. The Defense Act and the Law on Service in the Croatian Armed Forces do not recognize the institute of resignation, which is not in line with the code of conduct of soldiers. The jurisdiction and the appointment and dismissal procedure are prescribed by the Defense Act”.