ZAGREB, 30 Oct (Hina) - President and Army Commander in Chief Zoran Milanović said on Wednesday that countries that look after their own interests retain an unquestionable right to have the last say on their moves, stressing that nobody can and will deny Croatia that right.

"Countries that think about themselves and look after their interests have the indisputable and unquestionable right to have the last say on their moves, to be the ones to decide and to be the ones to be asked what they will do in certain situations and how they will do it. Nobody can and will deny Croatia that right, it retains that right unconditionally, whether it be called sovereignism or common sense," Milanović said at the Franjo Tuđman Military Academy.

He recalled Croatian early-20th century politician Stjepan Radić's statement "When the big ones fight, the small ones go under the table".

"It's clear what he wanted to say. Of course, they do not go under the table, drunks and cowards do that. They move away from the table and watch what happens," said Milanović, who attended a ceremony at which commissioned officers were awarded ranks and 21 cadets were accepted into active military service.

Politically and security-wise, small countries always also depend on others to a certain extent. They depend on the alliances they form, the commitments they assume, on how rational and level-headed they are in assessing their capabilities and obligations, Milanović said.

"Croatia thus chose NATO," he said.

"That is good and that is the only path for Croatia. But we have to be aware and constantly ask questions - without losing the human and allied loyalty that must be a constant, we must constantly watch developments around us," he stressed.

Speaking of the equipment of the Croatian Army, the President warned that "we are part of a world and an alliance where equipment is unbelievably expensive and we have to rely on a very limited number of suppliers, because we do not have our own. So, even though we cannot afford everything we would want, we need to be prudent and think well before making any decision because they are long-term decisions," he said.

He warned that the average age of Croatian reserve forces is 50. "Without reserve forces, the Rafales and Leopards and everything else makes much less sense," he said.

He noted that a lot of work lay ahead in equipping the Navy in line with the country's needs.

The President also noted that the reintroduction of conscription cannot be a political and party topic because it concerns the next 20 years. "Without that, we will not have the land army that we need," he warned.

(Hina)