"Essentially, we agreed on the situation in the Armed Forces. A lot has been done but a lot needs to be done, that is the first message that is very important," Plenković said at a news conference after the session of the Defence Council, held at government offices and attended by Plenković, Milanović, Defence Minister Mario Banožić and the Armed Forces Chief-of-Staff, Admiral Robert Hranj.
Since no joint statement was issued after the meeting, President and Armed Forces Commander-in-Chief Milanović held an impromptu news conference in his office, at which he called out the government over an ignorant approach to equipping the army, noting that they were unable to agree on a joint statement on the session of the Defence Council.
Milanović said that he had asked that the joint statement read that the Defence Council concluded that the current material conditions of the Armed Forces were not satisfactory, but that was not accepted.
Referring to Milanović's statement, Plenković said that they did not reach agreement on only one phrase.
"Those are nuances in the wording, we did not agree on only one formulation; everything else was more or less similar. We differ in those nuances in our messages towards the Croatian Army, the public and our neighbours, in how we see the situation in the Armed Forces," Plenković said.
Speaking of his meeting with the defence minister and the college of military commanders on Monday, Plenković said that the meeting helped make today's Defence Council meeting as constructive as possible.
He assessed some segments of today's meeting as "surreal".
"But essentially we agreed on the situation in the Armed Forces. A lot has been done but more should be done, that is the first message that is very important. We are in a year when we are launching a project to sign contracts for 12 Rafale fighter jets, a deal worth a billion euros," Plenković said.
"The government can be proud of how much over the past six years it has done to increase outlays for defence and how much that was felt on entitlements as against the previous period," he said, stressing that most of the outlays were reserved for the procurement of jets.
"This is very important in the context of the time we are in... In 2020 we had a GDP drop of 8% and huge outlays to alleviate the consequences of the biggest health crisis so far. Job-keeping grants, support to businesses, to keep the system together. Compared to 2015, outlays for defence are 7-10% higher, and on top of that come the jets," he said.
He stressed that the government respected Milanović's wish to point to defence financing and the procurement of individual equipment.
"We disagree on how to approach that topic and realistically analyse where we are today. The government has invested a lot," Plenković said, citing in that context also the introduction of on-call allowance, field allowance, allowance for accommodation, permanent work contracts after two years of service, and investments in the improvement of conditions in barracks.
Procurement of infantry vehicles point of contention
We agree "that more should be done," Plenković said, adding that the procurement of armoured infantry vehicles "evidently represents an important point of contention."
When a firm obligation is taken to procure them, he said, "the government will easily find the money. We want a comparative cost analysis of the procurement and modernisation of those vehicles or vehicles from other countries. The fact that there was no statement after the Defence Council (meeting) is irrelevant."
We understand the need to strengthen our defence capabilities, Plenković said, adding that the procurement of fighter jets was his government's project which would strengthen Croatia's status as a NATO member state participating in operations.
Speaking of the National Security Council meeting which he convened, he said it was "very constructive. We agreed on Southeast Europe. The joint assessment is almost the same, with minimal differences."
He said they also agreed on illegal migration and that they also discussed guidelines for the work of security and intelligence services.
Level of communication
Asked by the press why "a show is being put up for the public" if the meeting was constructive, Plenković said the government was trying to maintain a level of communication that was good for society although, he added, Milanović said that the ruling HDZ was a Nazi party.
He said the government "can be equally impertinent and rude, but we choose not to be. Until Milanović became president, there was no such political discourse in the public sphere. The public has become used to such communication, some even approve this gutter style. But we can't constantly respond to that."
Asked to comment on media reports about the defence minister's luxury flat, Plenković said the minister was using it temporarily and that the right question was why these reports appeared today.
Asked about the stalemate in the appointment of ambassadors and the role of former ambassador to France Ivo Goldstein, Plenković said he was very welcome in the Council dealing with the past but that it was another question whether "he is someone we would like for an ambassador."
He added that the stalemate was due to the president, not the government which proposed its candidates last year.
Speaking of the Defence Council meeting, Plenković also said he hoped "the Chief of the General Staff is well, that he enjoys the freedom of speech as everyone else." "There were situations today where he was not allowed to answer direct questions," he added.
Text: Hina