ZAGREB, Feb. 23 (Xinhua) -- Croatian President Zoran Milanovic announced on Monday that the Croatian military will not cooperate in any way with the Israeli military or Israel's military industry.
In a statement, he said that, due to what he described as unacceptable actions by the Israeli military and serious violations of international humanitarian law, he had ordered in May last year the termination of all cooperation between the Croatian Armed Forces and the Israeli military, a decision applying to all members of the Croatian Armed Forces.
Calling on the Croatian government to halt all arms and military equipment trade with Israel, he reiterated that the Croatian Armed Forces will not cooperate in any way with the Israeli army in the future.
The president's remarks came as Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Ivan Anusic began an official visit to Israel.
Anusic met Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz in Tel Aviv on Monday. Meetings with representatives of Israel's defense industry are also on the agenda.
Although the Croatian president is the nation's commander-in-chief of the armed forces, he cannot unilaterally decide all military affairs, as foreign military cooperation and arms procurement are led by the government.
In the statement, Milanovic called on the Croatian government, which is responsible for procuring military equipment and weapons, to suspend all planned agreements or contracts involving the purchase of weapons and military equipment from Israel. Any agreement or deal with the Israeli military or its defense industry would be unenforceable and damaging to Croatia, the statement said. ■