Croatian minister: Top Serbian officials "champions of wars"

Croatian minister: Top Serbian officials "champions of wars"

He now says Serbian officials "who are making a problem out of the strengthening of the defensive capacity of Croatia had a chance to show their true peacemaking during the wars of the 1990s" and "for that reason do not have the right to lecture anybody today."

In an interview for the internet magazine Slobodna Bosna carried by Croatia's Hina agency, Kotromanovic said Serbian officials were "champions of wars" in the former Yugoslavia.

"Vucic, Nikolic and Dacic were champions in conducting four wars in the area of former Yugoslavia. They could have prevent the loss of tens of thousands of lives if only they conducted a peaceful policy twenty years ago," he said, adding that "Belgrade could only be happy that he will no longer serve as Croatian minister of defense."

Kotromanovic "pointed out that everyone has the right to defend themselves and that Croatia as a member of NATO and the EU has no conquering pretensions" - while "it is known that in the past divisions went from Belgrade both toward Croatia and toward Bosnia-Herzegovina."

"I am glad that Serbia has now been fully exposed. It thinks that it will join the EU by cooperating with Russia. Hardly! That we in Croatia are working to strengthen our armed forces, that is within the common European security policy," said Kotromanovic.

The outgoing Croatian defense minister also stated that his country "has no negative comments on the announcements from Serbia about a possible acquisition of Russian S-300s."

"We have no negative comments on it, unlike Serbia that condemns Croatia. Serbia is a neighbor whom we appreciate and take into account, we wish them all the luck, that their economy grows, but let them let us do our job and take care of ourselves the way we think is best," he said.

Kotromanovic added that he "does not actually understand why there are complaints in Serbia, especially since after the announced Montenegrin accession to NATO it is almost completely surrounded by members of the Western defense alliance."

"What concerns them? That we will go to war? Of course Croatia will not go to war. That's nonsense. I do not know what's in their heads, what they wish to achieve with their latest statements and what their ultimate goal is. I'll be happy if the strengthening of our armed forces will help the Serbian leadership strengthen their own," said Kotromanovic.