PM Andrej Plenkovic said on Friday that his ruling HDZ party has nothing to do with the decision by veterans of the 9th Guards Wolves Brigade or with tomorrow's celebration in Dubrovnik, assessing that their decisions are a message to the President that they do not want to see him and that he is getting on their nerves.

The war veterans’ association of the 9th Vukovi (Wolves) Brigade did not participate in the official program commemorating the 30th anniversary of the formation of the brigade today in Gospic, which was attended by President Zoran Milanovic, with the explanation of “insurmountable obstacles in cooperation with the Office of the President.”

Furthermore, a committee organising the commemoration of the 30th anniversary of the liberation of Croatia’s south and lifting of the siege of Dubrovnik said on Friday that the President and Army Supreme Commander Zoran Milanovic was not invited to the event because they did not want it to be overshadowed by political arguments.

The organising committee, made up of Dubrovnik-Neretva County, the City of Dubrovnik, and the municipalities of Konavle, Zupa Dubrovacka, Dubrovacko Primorje, and Ston, said the decision was made because “an event as dignified as this one, focusing on defenders and Croatian unity, must not be overshadowed by disputes, quarrels and dissensions provoked on a daily basis by our President.”

“The decision has nothing to do with political parties nor is there any ban on inviting the President. Further comments on this topic shift attention from what is important, and that is the 30th anniversary of the defence and liberation of the country’s south,” the Dubrovnik-based organising committee said, adding that it would be available for comment after the commemoration.

After being asked by a reporter in Pula whether that showed that the HDZ party is moving harder against the president, Plenkovic, who is the HDZ leader, dismissed such interpretation of the events.

“People simply find the man (Milanovic) irritating, he gets on their nerves, they don’t want to see him, they sent him a message,” Plenkovic said and added that in the past two and a half years, Milanovic has lowered the level of the political culture of discourse with his statements.

“You have a man, who has been going around for two and a half years talking about us as criminals, and thieves and that we should be imprisoned, that we are a gang,” he said.

“Look at the Croatian political culture now and before – it’s two worlds. It’s clearly getting on people’s nerves. It’s not HDZ’s policy at all,” said Plenkovic.

People have every right to invite whoever they want and to not invite whoever they don’t want, he added, “even the president.”