Croatia Sounds Alarm Over Serbia’s Military Buildup, Urges West to Pressure Belgrade

Political relations between Croatia and Serbia have become further strained following statements by senior Croatian officials about the rapid expansion of Serbia’s military capabilities.

Zagreb is calling for Western allies to be informed of the developments and to exert political pressure on Belgrade. Croatian Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandrokovic and Defense Minister Ivan Anushic have publicly expressed concern over the modernization of Serbia’s military, calling for the issue to be raised with Croatia’s partners.

Speaking before Croatian ambassadors, consuls and military attachés at an annual conference in Zagreb, Jandrokovic said Serbia was not merely strengthening its defenses. “Serbia is arming itself not only with defensive weapons, but also with offensive, attack weapons. And we must tell our Western allies this,” he said.

Jandrokovic said that some members of the new political elites in Western countries lacked sufficient knowledge of the history of the former Yugoslavia, Slobodan Milosevic’s policies and the threats that recent developments in the Balkans could pose. He therefore called for greater engagement by Croatian diplomacy in informing international partners about the security situation in the region.

Concern in Zagreb has been heightened by the rapid modernization of the Serbian military in recent years. Attention is also focused on the agreement under which France will sell Serbia 12 Rafale fighter jets.

Croatia’s reaction was followed by a response from Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic. According to Croatian media, Vucic responded sarcastically to Jandrokovic, saying the days when, in his words, “people were expelled with ambassadors on tanks” were over.