Milanović in no hurry: National Security Council meeting only after serious preparation

(Patria) - Croatian President Zoran Milanović stated yesterday that the session of the National Security Council and the Defence Council will not be held soon, but it will certainly be held.

Milanović added that he will not discuss military matters with Defence Minister Ivan Anušić, but exclusively with Prime Minister Andrej Plenković.

Asked whether he will respond to Plenković's invitation to hold sessions of the Defence Council and the National Security Council, Milanović said that serious preparation is needed for that.

- An invitation is sent for a birthday. He sent a proposal, an idea. That is a procedure we are familiar with. The session will certainly be held, there are reasons for it, and we will not rush because there are very serious topics that need to be prepared.

There is no reason to rush. I see that for some reason there is a desire to do it immediately. The Council is a coordinating body that in practice does not make any decisions.

We will prepare the session thoroughly because there are important issues. This is not a topic for chatting over coffee, Milanović said, emphasizing that he does not want to discuss the agenda items in detail.

Asked whether the situation is so serious that they nevertheless decided to meet, Milanović retorted that the Prime Minister had refused meetings four times so far.

- He refused a meeting four times, and the last time we met was four and a half years ago. He proposed, and I have now accepted.

However, to be fair, I should say that he proposed a Council meeting immediately after Russia's entry into Ukraine in 2022, which I did not see as a reason for the Council to meet.

I have already cooled off a bit from that, why would I propose something if he won't. He has now proposed, and that is fine. The session will be soon, but not next week - added Milanović.

He also says that about the state of the army, when it comes to big things, he can only talk to Plenković, responding to the question of whether Defence Minister Anušić can be his interlocutor.

- His associates can be welcome interlocutors if conditions are created for that - stated Milanović.

He also pointed out that data on the (under)strength of the Croatian Armed Forces are public.

Asked whether concern over Vučić's armament, statements by the Israeli ambassador, or a letter to the NATO Secretary General could disturb citizens, he answered affirmatively.

- Statements by the Israeli ambassador, the letter from the Prime Minister, not to that extent, only what is incomplete. In that letter, a Chinese missile that Serbia allegedly possesses is mentioned.

Let's say it does, that cannot be determined from photographs. There are many games here. But this is not the beginning of Serbia's arming. It has been a year since they acquired an Israeli system with a range of 300 kilometres - said Milanović.

He emphasizes that this is very dangerous weaponry, perhaps even more troublesome than a hypersonic missile.

- That should perhaps have been written in the letter to the NATO Secretary General. We cannot talk about how we found out about the missile and whether it is news. That is childish. There are intelligence data and assessments - emphasizes Milanović.

Speaking about what is "appropriate to discuss" in the public space, he pointed out that debating the structure and strength of the Croatian Armed Forces is not problematic.

- We send a report on that to the OSCE, the Defence Minister talks about it in his reports, and when I say it publicly, one of his aides tells the media that it is high treason - concluded Milanović.