“Croatia accepts that defense spending be increased to five percent of GDP because it is something that is necessary and in its interest given the geopolitical circumstances,” said Croatian Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković in Brussels on Friday.
“We are ready to increase defense spending in the coming period and we have accepted those five percent as something that is necessary, not because it is someone’s whim, but because the security situation in the world has significantly changed,” said Gordan Jandroković, who is participating in the NATO Parliamentary Summit, which is being organized by the two houses of the Belgian Parliament and the NATO Parliamentary Assembly in Brussels.
Jandroković emphasized that the increase in defense spending is in Croatia’s interest, that it is a matter of prevention, and not because Croatia wants to threaten or attack anyone.
“There are new risks and threats, and countries that are not friendly towards NATO allies and the European Union, and even in our neighborhood are arming themselves,” said the Croatian Parliament Speaker.
In his speech, Jandroković said that Croatia has increased its defense budget by almost 200 percent since 2016. Croatia is aware that these investments need to continue to increase.
“Therefore, at the upcoming summit of heads of state and government of NATO member states in The Hague, Netherlands, we will support the proposal to agree on a new defense spending plan,” said Jandroković.
It is expected that the leaders of NATO member states will agree on a new defense spending target of five percent of GDP by 2032 at the summit next week in The Hague. Of this five percent, 3.5 percent would go to purely military spending, and the remaining 1.5 percent to costs for projects that have a civilian and military purpose.
Jandroković said that the global security environment is becoming increasingly complex, as evidenced by the current conflict between Israel and Iran.
“Croatia calls on the conflicting parties to exercise restraint, believing that diplomacy should be given a chance, no matter how difficult the situation is. In this regard, the engagement of the International Atomic Energy Agency is also very important when it comes to the Iranian nuclear program, which is a legitimate cause for concern. At the same time, it is important that the current escalation in the Middle East does not sway allies in their comprehensive support for Ukraine,” said Jandroković, who advocated for continued assistance to Ukraine in its defense against Russian aggression.
The head of the Croatian Parliament’s Delegation to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, Dario Hrebak, also stressed the necessity of increasing defense spending.
“Croatia not only can, but must raise spending to five percent, because we are a serious partner in NATO,” said Hrebak.
He added that Croatia has certain privileges as a member of NATO, it is part of the largest security alliance in the world, and with that comes some obligations that need to be fulfilled.
He said that Croatia will also use funds from the European Union to strengthen its defense capabilities.
“We have had certain negative experiences in the past and we know what it means to be a safe and free country, so we should not hesitate to spend funds and invest in our own security, which has its price,” said Hrebak.
The Speaker of the Ukrainian Parliament, Ruslan Stefanchuk, was also invited to the summit as a guest. In his speech, for which he received great applause, he presented the reasons why his country should be a member of NATO.
“Ukraine today has the strongest army in Europe and it defends NATO’s eastern borders,” said Stefanchuk.
Source: HRT