Zagreb, 9 September 2025 (Hina/MIA) -- The Office of Croatian President Zoran Milanović on Tuesday criticized a statement of the visiting Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar about similar war experiences of the two countries, finding the minister's statement offensive.

"The Israeli minister, during his visit to Zagreb, compared the Croatian Homeland War with Israel’s aggression on Gaza, a statement that is offensive to all victims of the war of aggression against Croatia," says Milanović's Office in a press release.

Sa'ar was on a visit to Zagreb this morning where he met with Croatia's prime minister, parliament speaker and foreign minister.

"The inappropriateness of meeting with a member of the Israeli government is clearly illustrated by his statement today, in which he compares Croatia’s Homeland War with Israel’s aggression on Gaza. That is deeply offensive to Croatia and to all victims of the aggression against Croatia -- because Croatia was defending itself, unlike Israel, which is rampaging through Gaza and killing tens of thousands," said the Office of President Milanović.

Sa'ar noted during a press conference in Zagreb that Israel had been criticised by some politicians in friendly countries.

"As for the president of Croatia and some other politicians, it is regrettable. I'm sorry that we are being attacked at a time when we are under assault from radical Islam on all fronts I've previously mentioned," said Sa'ar.

"I reject the substance of those claims and would remind people that in the past, Croatia too was accused of many things, but in the end, we know what really happened, and we know those accusations were not fair," the Israeli minister added.

When asked why President Milanović did not meet with the Israeli minister, the President's Office replied that the real question was why he had been invited to Zagreb at all, and why Prime Minister Andrej Plenković, Foreign Minister Gordan Grlić Radman and Speaker of Parliament Gordan Jandroković had chosen to meet with him.

"At a time when the Israeli government and military are forcibly displacing the entire population of Gaza City and preparing an assault on a city of one million people, meeting with a member of that government is, in effect, an endorsement of Israeli policies of violence, ethnic cleansing and war crimes," reads the statement given to Hina.

Croatia should begin the process of recognizing the State of Palestine as a first step toward achieving a two-state solution and lasting peace in the Middle East -- not offer "support to Israeli officials who unequivocally stand behind a policy of war and violence," the Office of the President stressed.

The Office also criticized the fact that "the entire centre of Zagreb was blocked for hours today because of Sa’ar -z something that doesn’t even happen when far more distinguished and important guests visit Croatia."