President Zoran Milanovic said on Friday that military exercises are planned by the army and that he will not allow their schedule to be changed in order to adjust them to certain dates.

“As the President of the Republic in these five years, I have never, nor has it occurred to me to change the schedule of military exercises. There are very precise annual plans that were not made by me or in the offices of political parties, but by the army,” Milanovic said in an address at a reception given in his office on the occasion of Victory and Homeland Thanksgiving Day.

“Making decisions overnight to adjust something to this date or that is not good and I won’t allow it. The Croatian army will conduct exercises and preparations from Umag to Prevlaka, but it will not do so outside prescribed plans and decisions, outside the chain of command,” said the President of the Republic, who also serves as Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces.

Milanović thus once again explained his decision to cancel a military exercise that was to take place at Kupari, southeast of Dubrovnik, from 1 to 3 August. The exercise was originally scheduled for the autumn, but the Ministry of Defence wanted it to be held ahead of Victory and Homeland Thanksgiving Day and the 29th anniversary of Operation Storm, observed on 5 August.

The President noted that Croatia is in the middle of the tourist season, “on which we pin too many of our hopes,” and that therefore it is unacceptable for a military exercise to be held a kilometre away from the beaches.

Milanovic also spoke about the proposal to restore compulsory military service. He reiterated that 15 years ago Croatia had decided to develop a professional army, but that it is an expensive process that has not been brought to completion yet.

“I am willing to consider smart and well-reasoned initiatives from those who propose it in the hope and belief that they are doing it in good faith and know what they are talking about,” the President said.

When it comes to equipping and modernising the army, he said he will advocate for the army to get the best and most of what it can get, but noted that politicians, including himself, should not be the ones to decide what should be bought and from whom. “That’s not our job.”

“The Croatian army is not alienated from society that its needs should be discussed in secrecy. It’s the army of the Croatian people, its needs should be discussed in public, and decisions should be made intelligently and with determination to implement them,” the President said.