Croatia's president: Statement for Defence Co-operation with Kosovo, Albania, poses threat to Serbia

I have not participated in drafting and adopting this document, but as president of the state and commander-in-chief of the armed forces I support this memorandum. And in a way I want to calm neighbouring states, such as Serbia, that there is no reason for concern. Northern Macedonia is in NATO, and that is enough”, Milanovic said at a joint media conference with Northern Macedonia President Gordana Silanovska Davkova.

Asked about expectations of the military co-operation agreement between Croatia, Albania and Kosovo, where Northern Macedonia is invited to participate, Milanovic stressed that it is not a formal international agreement.

The “The document you mentioned is not an agreement but a statement, that is a memorandum. It is a document that has been signed in the form of protocol by three defence ministers. From the point of view of Croatia's constitutional system, it does not meet the conditions to be international agreements -- it is simply a declaration, without international legal consequences”, Milanovic said.

He stressed that Croatia and Albania are NATO members, while Kosovo is a friendly state, which is still not a member of the European Union and has not been officially accepted. If I were to represent northern Macedonia, I would not be worried about the issue at all. It is not an international agreement, but is in line with Croatia's foreign policy”, the Croatian president added.

During the official visit to Skopje, Milanovic, after meeting with President Siljanovska Davkova, will also meet with Northern Macedonia Prime Minister Hristija Mickoski.