President Zoran Milanovic shared his opinion on the migrant issue on his Facebook page on Wednesday. He said that today's migrants are not like those from 2015, as they are now arriving with a clear agenda and are primarily seeking social benefits. The Most party's candidate for prime minister, Nikola Grmoja, replied that the border is not guarded by status updates on social networks.

Milanovic emphasised that the Croatian border is sacred and that lives were lost for it during the war.

“Croatia is currently struggling with the challenges of migration. However, the nature of today’s migrants is very different from those of 2015, when we had a humane and open, but also calculated approach to this problem, when I myself as prime minister considered how we can help these people without jeopardising ourselves as a state,” Milanovic wrote on Facebook.

He argued that everything is different today because migrants come here with a calculation that is primarily driven by the pursuit of social benefits. “While it is important to protect those fleeing persecution, conflict or genocide, it is obvious that today’s migrants are motivated by other factors. Their presence in Croatia is illegal and warrants appropriate treatment,” Milanovic said.

He emphasised that we still need to be honest and compassionate towards them, but not foolish. “The Croatian border is sacred, lives were lost for it during the war, people rose up to resist, brigades were formed – to know what is ours. Let us help those in need, but above all let us protect the Croatian people,” Milanovic wrote in a Facebook post.

Grmoja: Milanovic had four years to act

The Most party’s candidate for prime minister, Nikola Grmoja, replied that Milanovic, as President of the Republic, had four years to take action to protect the Croatian border.

“The border and public safety are not protected by status messages on social networks,” Grmoja said on his Facebook account, adding that Milanovic, as commander-in-chief of the Croatian armed forces, had four years to take measures to protect the border, “but he did not.”

“I agree with his observations about the border and illegal migrants, but good observations are not what you expect from a statesman,” he wrote. As a candidate for prime minister, I categorically declare that my first step will be to initiate the deployment of the Croatian military at critical points of the border to finally prevent illegal border crossing and protect the safety of Croatian citizens,” Grmoja said.