Grlić Radman does not believe that the USA will leave NATO

“Creating a separate European army at this point would be a duplication of work because most of the European Union's members are in NATO,” said Foreign Minister Gordan Grlić Radman in Zagreb on Saturday, adding that he does not believe that the United States will leave the transatlantic military alliance.

“The fundamental question also arises, if a European army were to happen, the question of headquarters, command, this is a very complex question,” said the Minister of Foreign and European Affairs at the Electoral Assembly of the HDZ Union of Entrepreneurs and Craftsmen, arguing that we should still believe in transatlantic relations, which Croatia strongly advocates.

When asked whether the US will leave NATO, which President Donald Trump has once again called a paper tiger, the minister estimates that it is only an incentive for members to make greater contributions for the sake of stronger strategic autonomy. He does not see a situation in which this overseas partner would leave the alliance.

“Although everything is always possible,” said the minister, “it is then a long procedure. There is the president's idea, but then there are other bodies, there is Congress, there is the Senate, so I don't think that is a likely option at this point.”

The President of the United States criticized NATO members for not accepting assistance in the US-Israeli military campaign against Iran by denying US military aircraft the use of their airspace or not sending naval forces to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

“We actively advocate for the safety of navigation and the opening of the Strait of Hormuz, but we should bear in mind the fact that NATO, as an organization of collective defense, has rarely acted outside the Euro-Atlantic area,” said the Croatian head of diplomacy, adding that any action requires consensus, so I am sure that this will be discussed at the next meetings.

“We are all making great efforts to create the conditions that will create an international order in which everyone will live well, where there will be respect for others and where there will be no more conflicts or wars,” he said, “because in the 21st century, the conditions for a civilized world have been created,” concluded Gordan Grlić Radman.

Source: HRT