Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic said on Monday that Croatia is a "safe country" and that his government "is keeping its eyes open" to what is going on in the neighbourhood, state agency Hina reported.

“Croatia is, as we said a year and three months ago, a safe country. “That’s the most important thing and it has a bearing on our international position to the largest extent possible,” Plenkovic said after a meeting of the leadership of his Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) party. He was asked by the press to comment on the annual report by the Security and Intelligence Agency (SOA), which cited risks of growing Serbian extremism, radicalism and increasingly frequent cyber attacks.

He stressed the importance of the issue of the relationship with the Serb minority being dealt with in Croatia, in a spirit of tolerance, inclusion and co-existence. He said that his government is also taking care of the rights of the Croats in Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and elsewhere.

Speaking of terrorist threats and cyber attacks, Plenkovic said that these are global phenomena that affect all countries. “We remain vigilant and are still in a position to strengthen our security and intelligence system and the capabilities of the Croatian military and police in the context of our entry into the Schengen area. The procurement of multi-purpose fighter jets is under way and they will be in Croatia in 2024.”

Plenkovic noted that his government had upgraded the homeland security system and increased the protection of national interests.

Asked about growing tension in Kosovo and Montenegro and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic’s ultimatum to NATO, Plenkovic appealed for common sense and de-escalation on the Serbia-Kosovo border. He stressed that Croatia’s messages were always aimed at defusing tensions there.

Asked whether Croatia can be satisfied with this year’s tourist season, Plenkovic said that this is the assessment by all stakeholders. He added that fiscalisation data for this year show that the value of fiscalised receipts for this month reached 90 per cent of the value of fiscalised receipts for September 2019. He said that revenues per visitor will be higher because spending was higher.

Asked about an initiative by the Solidarna Foundation to declare a day for the prevention of violence against children, the prime minister condemned the crime that happened in Zagreb this weekend, when a father killed his three underage children, extending his condolences to the mother and other family members. He said that social services had not intervened previously because there were no indications that anything was wrong with this family. He said that the case would be investigated and that all initiatives regarding this tragedy would be considered.

Plenkovic announced a major reform of social services, saying that several bills will soon be put to public consultation.

Plenkovic expressed satisfaction with the results of a recent public opinion survey which revealed that his HDZ party enjoyed the support of 30.8 percent of those interviewed. He said that this was strong support and an obligation for his government to continue its work.

He said that the HDZ leadership also discussed the election results in Germany, adding that they expect the very good relations between Germany and Croatia to continue.