Zagreb – Croatia raises concerns over Serbia’s armament

Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković said that Croatia is closely following Serbia’s armament process, describing it as a broad process of weapons purchases, the Croatian news agency HINA reported.

Plenković’s statement came during a meeting with the prime minister of Bavaria, Markus Söder, in Zagreb, after Croatian Defence Minister Ivan Anušić had described Serbia’s rhetoric and military build-up as increasingly aggressive.

“It is an extraordinary armament process, almost a great wave of weapons purchases from different countries of the world,” Plenković said, adding that Serbia’s neighbouring countries should ask themselves why Belgrade is arming itself to this extent.

The Croatian prime minister said that the issue of Serbia’s armament has also been discussed in Croatia’s Defence Council and National Security Council.

According to him, Zagreb is also discussing this issue with its partners, who are aware of the situation.

Plenković also said that Croatia, as a member of the European Union and NATO, is taking care of its security and that its defence budget has tripled over the last 10 years.

He stressed that the capacities Croatia is building are, in his view, a deterrent and do not constitute a threat to other countries.

Croatian Defence Minister Ivan Anušić said earlier, during an international defence industry conference in Zadar, that Serbia has armed itself intensively over the last 10 years, with military systems that he described as “very serious” and offensive.

Anušić declared that Croatia will strengthen its defence capacities, with the aim of establishing a balance of armed forces in the region.

He also said that over the course of a year, Croatia has signed contracts with Croatian companies worth more than 200 million euros for equipping the Croatian Armed Forces.

The statements by Croatian officials were made in the context of discussions on European security and the development of defence capacities.