Croatian President Zoran Milanović stated on Thursday that Croatia "has no enemies except Serbia," with which relations are not harmonious, and that Zagreb, for its part, "is doing everything it can" to improve ties.
"Croatia, in fact, has no enemies, only Serbia, with which it cannot manage to harmonize relations," Milanović declared at a solemn session marking Krapina-Zagorje County Day.
It would be very good, as he said, if this were possible, but it is not, and "for this, I truly see no culprits in Croatia."
"We are doing everything we can on our part," he said, emphasizing in particular that Croatia must be very cautious if it is drawn, whether by design or inertia, into any new global hostility with certain states.
"We do not want clashes, we do not want conflict. Do we have the right to such a foreign policy? Our existential need is to be masters in our own country, but not with a wallet in our pocket—because today no one carries cash anymore—but with our own minds and our own judgments of what is good for us and what is not," Milanović stressed.
Speaking about the European Union, Milanović noted that the bloc largely produces its own food and thus meets its own needs.
"The European Union is a project of peace and security, not a project of war, into which it is turning day by day while we sit here," the Croatian president said.
He stressed that "there are a series of efforts to arm the EU, and this is no longer a peace project."
"We are part of a society where grand plans are being drafted, in whose strategic thinking we can barely participate. We are very small, but they affect us greatly," he said.
"Germany has 250,000 soldiers, and what is the prospect of it having a million? Very small, almost none, given Germany's culture and legal order. People do not want to join the army," he added.
"What are the chances that Croatia, with 17,000 soldiers on paper and 13,000 in reality, reaches 50,000 with reserves, which is the bare minimum to start planning a defense vision? What are the chances of that? Smaller than small," Milanović assessed.
Tensions between Croatia and Serbia have intensified in recent months due to disputes over armament and mutual accusations, particularly those against Zagreb for allegedly supporting anti-government protests in Belgrade.