Plenkovic: Serbia's arms buildup 'almost a shopping mania'
Plenkovic said Croatia monitors Serbia's large rearmament and develops its forces solely for deterrence after meeting Markus Söder.
Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic said on Friday that Croatia is watching closely what he called Serbia’s large-scale military strengthening, likening the purchases to a near “shopping mania.”
“Croatia is carefully monitoring Serbia's large military buildup, which almost resembles a 'shopping mania',” Plenkovic said, adding that Zagreb is developing its armed forces exclusively for deterrence.
Meeting in Zagreb
Plenkovic made the remarks in Zagreb during a meeting with Bavarian premier Markus Söder. The encounter followed public comments by Croatia’s defence minister, Ivan Anusic, who earlier described Belgrade’s rhetoric and the country’s arms acquisitions as increasingly aggressive.
The prime minister framed Croatia’s military development as defensive in nature, intended to deter rather than provoke, while expressing concern about the scale and pace of Serbia’s purchases.
The statements add to regional unease over military modernization and arms imports in the Western Balkans, a topic that have drawn attention from neighbouring capitals in recent months.
Photo: press material from the event
