President and PM agree: Board of Peace is a no for Croatia

President Zoran Milanović and Prime Minister Andrej Plenković have found rare common ground: Croatia will not join the proposed Board of Peace.

Speaking on Wednesday, President Milanović addressed whether Croatia should accept an invitation from U.S. President Donald Trump to join the initiative. While the legal framework for participation exists, Milanović warned that the proposal raises serious concerns.

The Board has been described as a potential alternative to the UN Security Council—one that could sidestep established international law, marginalize the United Nations, and concentrate power in the hands of the U.S. president.

Milanović said many key questions surrounding the invitation remain unanswered. He also confirmed that Plenković had attempted to reach him by phone earlier in the day, but that he was unable to respond at the time.

“What am I supposed to do—take responsibility for this decision when Plenković doesn’t know what to do with this hot potato?” Milanović said, adding that the matter should be addressed by the National Security Council.

The president and prime minister later spoke and agreed that Croatia should not join the Board at this time.

“I can say, after a thorough analysis, that the position of the government and the parliamentary majority is that Croatia will not join the Peace Committee at this moment, for a number of reasons,” Plenković said.

The prime minister confirmed that he had a brief phone call with Milanović.

“Given that last week he said he wanted more information and insisted that nothing could be decided without him, I realized this morning that he had made remarks on the issue, but I didn’t have time to read them,” Plenković said, adding that he would elaborate on the government’s reasons for rejecting the invitation at a later date.

The President’s Office later issued a statement confirming that Milanović and Plenković had spoken.

“Although any initiative contributing to peace in the Middle East should be welcomed, President Milanović’s position is that the Republic of Croatia should not participate in the Board of Peace,” the statement said.