Anusic at Harvard on Serbia's new government and Vucic
Croatian Defense Minister Ivan Anusic said in the United States that the government now forming in Belgrade must renounce the Greater Serbia policy of Vucic and Milosevic.
While Serbia is still assembling a new government after the October 25 elections, its neighbors are weighing in on the course it will take. Ivan Anusic, Croatia’s deputy prime minister and defense minister, said at Harvard University that the authorities in Serbia must distance themselves from Greater Serbia policy.
The statements were released by the Croatian Ministry of Defense (MORH), and the first reports in Croatian and Montenegrin media appeared on November 5.
What did Anusic say about Serbia?
The Croatian minister spoke on Wednesday, November 4, 2026, at a seminar on the security situation in Southeast Europe. He described Serbia under Aleksandar Vucic as the biggest source of instability in that part of the continent. He cited the fact that Vucic’s government was defeated in the October 25 parliamentary elections.
According to the MORH statement, as carried by the Croatian press, Anusic said:
“In the interest of peace and stability, the new Serbian government that is yet to be formed must distance itself from the Greater Serbia policy of Aleksandar Vucic, that is, of Slobodan Milosevic from the 1990s.”
The outlets differ on the exact wording of that sentence, but they agree on the substance: Anusic is asking for a break with the policy he tied to two leaders, Vucic and Slobodan Milosevic.
Where did he speak, and at whose invitation?
Anusic spent two days in the United States at the invitation of Natali Rajes, a former US ambassador to Croatia. On the first day he met representatives of the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, a research center on international security and defense policy, and discussed defense policy. The seminar was moderated by Morin Page, the center’s deputy director.
Besides Serbia, the Croatian minister covered several other topics in his remarks:
- the importance of the American presence in the NATO mission KFOR in Kosovo
- the stability of Bosnia and Herzegovina
- political changes in Hungary
- continued military and political support for Ukraine in defending itself against Russian aggression
On Bosnia and Herzegovina, he said:
“For Croatia, the stability of Southeast Europe is a matter of national interest, and above all the preservation of stability and peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina, which is of key importance for the security of our entire neighborhood.”
How did he describe Croatia’s role?
Anusic stressed that Croatia is a member of the European Union and NATO, and that this carries weight in the region. According to the MORH statement, he said:
“In Southeast Europe, Croatia has always been a guardian of stability and an advocate of democratic, pro-Western values.”
He added that Croatia’s role as an EU and NATO member is “especially important” today because, as he put it, Croatian experience helps neighboring countries on their Euro-Atlantic path.
What does the statement mean for the region?
Anusic was in the United States the day after the midterm elections of President Donald Trump, and he spoke of the American role in Europe as a pillar of security that has lasted for decades. The reports we read carry no response to his statements, and the government in Serbia has not yet been formed.
Our portal also published a comment today from Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic on the Student List and European flags. That is a separate statement, but it shows that the Croatian government is speaking out on what has been happening in Serbia since October 25.
