Investigation should establish all the circumstances, we continue cooperation with our partners

Prime Minister Andrej Plenković said on Tuesday it was now known that a drone which crashed in Zagreb last Thursday was armed, refuting today's statement by NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg.

Stoltenberg said earlier today that according to the indications so far, the drone was unarmed, that it crashed when it ran out of fuel, and that it was not an armed attack.

"This aerial vehicle which crashed on Thursday - since there is a lot of confusion, we must remove and eliminate all possibly incorrect information - was armed. It was not unarmed, but  it was armed. We know it now. It was not known on Thursday night, maybe it was not known on Friday, but now we know," Plenković told the press.

He backed his claim with a photo, saying it showed traces of the bomb, that is the explosive that was found at the crash site.

Asked how it was possible that NATO did not have the information that the drone was armed, Plenković said, "I have no idea why the NATO secretary-general was answering questions at all today if he didn't have the latest information. Perhaps his information was from a briefing a few days ago."

He said Croatia wanted "the cooperation with NATO on this matter to remain transparent."

"We will inform them of what we have found out and what he have undertaken and what we will undertake," he said, reiterating that the crash of a drone in Zagreb was "a huge and serious incident."

Plenković said the relevant authorities were trying to establish what type of bomb the drone carried.

"It's great luck that in such a serious incident, a big threat to our security, no one was wounded or killed," he said, adding that it was a good thing that the drone hit the ground as hitting a hard surface would have caused a stronger blast.

Plenković said Croatia had not been notified about the drone before it entered Croatia's airspace from Hungary and that he had not spoken with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, although the two countries' defence ministries are communicating.

He reiterated that it was yet to be established how the drone arrived in Zagreb, whether it was an error, sabotage or intentional, and that the investigation should establish this and other data in cooperation with the partner countries.

He announced that the capabilities of the Croatian Army and air defence would be strengthened. "We will invest even more in the Croatian Army. It's not an exception, it will be a rule after 24 February both at European and global level."

Plenković said he had spoken with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. "Two US F-16 fighter jets are arriving in Croatia tomorrow. The US wants to help, very much so. It's a sign of our partnership and friendship."

He welcomed a visit by his Czech, Polish and Slovenian counterparts to Kyiv today to show support on the EU's behalf. They are the first foreign leaders visiting the Ukrainian capital since the beginning of Russia's invasion.

"I think that's good. Any political, strong message of solidarity with Ukraine at this moment is something that should be welcomed."

Text: HINA

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