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Zagreb - Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković said in Zagreb on Tuesday that Croatia would send the military to its border, if it would be necessary, following Turkey's decision to let migrants continue their journey towards Europe.
"Obviously, if the security situation deteriorates, the Croatian army will be deployed along the borderline," Jandroković said on the margins of the two-day Inter-parliamentary Conference for the Common Foreign and Security Policy and the Common Security and Defence Policy (CFSP-CSDP), which began on Tuesday in Zagreb.
Jandroković called on the European Union to assume a joint response to the migrant crisis.
"I would not like to see the recurrence of the situation from 2015. It is necessary to strengthen the common policy within the European Union when it comes to migrations. Greece and Bulgaria are bearing the brunt," the Croatian official said.
He went on to say that the response to the crisis should be different from the response in 2015.
"Croatia will follow the developments and coordinate its activities. The fundamental duty of the state is to protect its borders and people."
He called for tackling the crisis at its roots in Syria and added that activities should be taken in two directions: diplomatic and humanitarian so as to prevent a new surge of migrants.
CFSP-CSDP holding meeting in Zagreb
The CFSP-CSDP was established in 2012. The EU's common security and defence policy (CDSP) is an integral part of the EU's common foreign and security policy (CFSP). It includes the progressive framing of a common EU defence policy, aims at allowing the EU to enhance its military capacities and deploying missions outside the EU for peace-keeping, conflict prevention and strengthening international security in accordance with the principles of the United Nations Charter.
Opening this inter-parliamentary conference, Jandroković said that the aim would be to have "a strong and democratic Europe which is a forerunner and influential globally, a forerunner in the fight against climate change and a guarantor of security and stability."
In his speech, Jandroković recalled global challenges, including the conflicts in the Middle East, migrations, terror threats, organised crime, climate and demographic changes, energy insecurity, trade protectionism and so on.
Conferences of this kind are held twice a year, each time organised by the country that is the current holder of the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union.
During the Zagreb conference, it was proposed to introduce urgent debates and the adoption of joint conclusions on all topics.