Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković has sharply criticized President Zoran Milanović after Milanović said he would not allow members of Croatia’s Honor Guard Battalion to take part in a military parade in France.
Speaking Monday during a visit to the island of Hvar, Plenković said he would insist that Croatian troops participate in the parade in Paris, arguing that the matter falls under the authority of the Defense Ministry rather than the president.
The dispute centers on Croatia’s planned participation in a military parade on the Champs-Élysées, following an official invitation from France. Plenković noted that Croatia and France have a strategic partnership agreement and said Defense Minister Ivan Anušić would push for the Croatian Armed Forces to attend.
Plenković also warned that the chief of the General Staff would lose his confidence if he failed to act in line with the Defense Ministry’s position.
“If the chief of the General Staff does not carry out what Minister Anušić announced on Friday, from that moment he no longer has my confidence, and I expect his resignation,” Plenković said.
The prime minister accused Milanović of showing little interest in Croatian state holidays or cooperation with international allies. He pointed to the participation of French Rafale fighter jets in Croatia’s Statehood Day ceremony on May 30, which Milanović did not attend.
Plenković went further, accusing the president of promoting an isolationist and anti-European policy, as well as maintaining what he described as a long-standing anti-Ukrainian stance.
“A president who for five or six years has been singing Russian songs, which for reasons unknown to me some citizens support, is a national embarrassment,” Plenković said.
The prime minister concluded that the decision on ceremonial and protocol activities of Croatian soldiers is not within the president’s authority, but belongs to the Ministry of Defense.
