President Milanović: Croatia has always been part of the Western world; I expect the Government to take a clearer and bolder stand in the realization of Croatian interests
“Antagonism in the world is enormous. We have not lived in such times and in such circumstances for a long time. In this balance of power, we are part of the Western world and we have not been there only since 2009, 2013 or 1991, but in fact we have always been there, regardless of the 40, 50-year long interruption. It’s the Western world, not the collective West because that doesn’t exist. The Western world – that’s where we belong. That Western world is the European Union and above all the USA. Together we represent 10 to 15 percent of the world’s population along with Japan, South Korea and Australia. The rest are states and regimes that, to put it mildly, do not look favourably on us. These are simply facts that have behind them a history of action and a certain historical anamnesis,” the President of the Republic and Commander in Chief of the Croatian Armed Forces Zoran Milanović said at a ceremony held on the occasion of marking the 32nd anniversary of the formation of the General Staff of the Croatian Armed Forces.
Speaking about the state of affairs in the world and the standing of Croatia and the Croatian Army, President Milanović pointed out that practically the whole of Eurasia, including Russia and China, stands opposite the Western world, which he was referring to today. “We are not currently at war against it, but we are in an interaction with that and it is not harmless,” he warned and explained: “The changes that have been taking place in the last few years were the result of major disturbances and imbalances in the power, monetary, and energy relations. The war in Ukraine is just a consequence of that. That, I’m afraid, is not all. The United Nations as an organization and the central point of assembly and work and decision-making in the area of global security has become a completely dysfunctional organization to the extent that even some high-ranking diplomats, from whom one would least expect it, are writing and even publishing expert and political texts on whether we need such an organization. We do need it, we can’t avoid it, but it has become a hostage to precisely these relations in the world.”
Recalling the fact that some large countries – Russia, China and India – were never permanent members of the International Criminal Court, the Rome Statute, while others renounced their membership, President Milanović said this shows and reminds us that there are first and second-tier countries. “The Security Council is not organized on the principle of modern equality and equality of member states, but on the contrary, on the principle of inequality in which some are equal and some are more equal. That’s how the world functioned, and it functioned well, during the Cold War, for five decades, on the principle of fear and mutual respect, in which until the last day the great powers signed agreements on arms control, reduction and abolition of certain categories of weapons, solely out of a sense of fear. That is no longer the case today,” said the President of the Republic.
Croatia has clearly decided where it belongs in that world: it is in the West, President Milanović reiterated, but “of course, this does not mean that we will blindly and stupidly participate in the events and consequences of those events, on the creation of which we have no influence.” In this context, he used the example of Slovenia, which introduced checkpoints along its border because of an increasing number of migrants entering Slovenia. “More and more of them are entering; they are passing through BiH and Croatia because Croatia cannot do much more. The Slovenes have no other choice. We have no other choice, our police cannot do more than what they are doing, and even when they are doing their work, various observers come and watch every step and movement. That’s not how work can get done. We have what we have, all because BiH cannot do the work of a functional state. Perhaps they themselves are not to blame for this, but it is in Croatia’s immediate neighbourhood. It’s another country, to be completely clear – we have no ambitions and no plans with Bosnia and Herzegovina – but there must be order, because this ultimately impacts us, our reputation, our standing, our security, the property of our citizens and their fears and insecurities, of those who live in that area,” said President Milanović, repeating his position that “the solution would be to bring Bosnia and Herzegovina closer to European integration by skipping the queue, to integrate them into the EU as soon as possible.”
“BiH can be a member of the EU tomorrow. Tomorrow, without anyone noticing, and we solve 90% of the problems,” adds the President, explaining why this is important to Croatia. “Croatia is a party to the Dayton Agreement, not a random passer-by. We are a party to the Dayton Agreement, as is Belgrade. Zagreb and Tuđman represented the Croats, Alija Izetbegović – then Tuđman’s and Croatia’s ally, for which he was decorated with Croatia’s top award – represented the Bosniaks and Muslims of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Milošević represented the Serbs. Croatia is not present in BiH with its own forces. When I talk about forces, I mean a couple of people, because we have the right to it if Turkey has the right, which is neither a neighbour nor a party to the Dayton Agreement, and is very much involved in the events in Bosnia and Herzegovina, where it has interests. However, the European Commission, i.e. the foreign affairs service, says Croatia cannot be there,” reminded the President of the Republic and added that he expects the Croatian Government to take “a clearer position and a bolder stand in the realization of Croatian interests.”
Everything he spoke about, says President Milanović, “also concerns the Croatian Army, which of course will not act.” “It also concerns it in terms of the situation in Kosovo, not to mention Ukraine, because we have to promise, give, help. It’s difficult, ungrateful and dangerous,” he added and emphasized that “the main task of the Croatian Army is the defense of the homeland with manpower, intellect, organization and weaponry.” In this context, he recalled the fact that Croatia does not have its own military industry and everything it buys costs money. “These are astronomical figures; these are unimaginably large sums of money. So when it already costs so much, when we already unloaded almost one and a half billion euros, including VAT, for twelve used good fourth-generation jets, what do we get from that?,” he asked.
“These are very serious things. If it would cost as much as it cost in the Second World War, when hundreds of airplanes came off the production lines a week and dropped bombs with energy a hundred times greater than today’s, in one attack, then that is another story. But when you have to give the GDP of Montenegro or a little less than it for ten planes, then that’s a different matter. And what else is missing in order for the story to be complete? And to clearly define rivals and enemies, who will the planes be used against? Flying objects mistakenly launched from Ukraine that went westward? Or against our eastern neighbour Serbia, which still cannot decide where it belongs, sometimes in the West, sometimes in the Russian Empire? These are the dilemmas we live in, they are serious, and that is why the priority and the Croatian interest is what is happening in the region, our neighbours,” said President Milanović.
President Milanović again commented on the verdict of the European Court of Human Rights ordering BiH to change its constitution, which, he believes, is “dangerous business.” “And then Komšić, the ‘private’ member of the BiH Presidency, takes advantage of this, by comparing the Croatian Government with Putin because it supposedly does not recognize European institutions. We do not recognize legal tyranny; we do not recognize that and we will fight with all democratic and peaceful means, so that it is known where Croatian politics stands, as far as I’m concerned, and how it could and should be implemented. I believe that it will be implemented that way. Toward everyone as fairly and honestly as possible, but above all taking into account what is good for us and for our people,” President Milanović concluded.
At the ceremony, the President of the Republic mentioned two former Chiefs of the General Staff of the Croatian Armed Forces, General Pavao Miljavac and General Anton Tus, both of whom passed away recently. “These are people who embedded themselves, in the literal sense of the word, into the Croatian system and the Croatian state. Everyone who performed such a responsible job gave and wove themselves [into the system] through their important and essential work,” he said.
Congratulating the officers and soldiers on the Day of the General Staff of the Croatian Armed Forces, President Milanović concluded that it is important to keep the best in the army. “In order for us not to lose the best, most ambitious, most enterprising and most curious, we must all act equally. The job of the Croatian Army is to secure and provide careers for smart, engaged and curious young people, men and women. Happy Day of the General Staff of the Croatian Armed Forces, which continues the glorious tradition, and I believe a good present and future, but not one with war. Faithful to the homeland!,” President Milanović told those present.
On the basis of constitutional and legal powers vested in him, and on the occasion of marking the 32nd anniversary of the formation of the General Staff of the Croatian Armed Forces, President Milanović issued decisions on the decoration and commendation of members of the Armed Forces.
For extraordinary successful command of units of the Croatian Armed Forces and for extraordinary military services in their organization and development, Colonel Mate Gudelj was decorated with the Order of Ban Jelačić. Lieutenant Colonel Franjo Kocur, Lieutenant Colonel Davor Stanković, Sergeant Major Stipica Bolanča and Master Sergeant Zoran Jozić were decorated with the Order of the Croatian Trefoil for extraordinary services to the Republic of Croatia in a state of war and under special circumstances in peace. Lieutenant Colonel Mijo Tojčić, Sergeant Major Mirjana Magić and Master Sergeant Saša Vukmanović were decorated with the Order of the Croatian Interlace for extraordinary contributions to the development and standing of the Republic of Croatia, as well as to the welfare of its citizens. For achieving above-average results in the execution of duties, Colonel Robert Suntešić was commended with the Commendation of the Commander in Chief.
Minister of Defense Mario Banožić, Chief of the General Staff of the Croatian Armed Forces Admiral Robert Hranj and Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Croatian Armed Forces Lieutenant General Siniša Jurković were alongside the President of the Republic and Commander in Chief of the Croatian Armed Forces during the presentation of the decorations and commendations.
President Milanović was accompanied at the ceremony by the Adviser to the President of the Republic for Defense Ivica Olujić, Adviser to the President of the Republic for National Security Dragan Lozančić, Special Adviser to the President of the Republic for Homeland War Veterans Marijan Mareković, Secretary in the Military Office of the Cabinet for Defense and National Security of the Office of the President Colonel Senka Vučić and NCO for IT support in the Military Office of the Cabinet for Defense and National Security of the Office of the President Sergeant Major Hrvoje Krajačić.
PHOTO: Office of the President of the Republic of Croatia / Marko Beljan