Zagreb, 28 August 2025 (Hina/MIA) -- Croatia's President Zoran Milanović has strongly condemned Israeli military attacks on civilians in Gaza and called on the Croatian government to initiate a parliamentary procedure to recognize Palestine.

President Milanović met at his office with Palestinian Foreign Minister Varsen Aghabekian to discuss the situation in Gaza, "which has been exposed to brutal attacks by the Israeli army for months, and especially in recent days", his office said in a statement.

President Milanović "strongly condemned the attacks by the Israeli military on civilians in Gaza and the announced military occupation of Gaza", which he said "cannot be justified under any circumstances", the statement added.

He told Aghabekian that the only just solution to the war in Gaza is the two-state solution.

"Croatia should recognize Palestine as a step toward stopping the war and the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza. Recognizing the Palestinian people's right to their own state is the only way to establish lasting peace in the Middle East," said President Milanović.

He added that he would strongly advocate for this recognition to happen as soon as possible and called on the government to initiate the necessary parliamentary procedure.

Aghabekian, the Palestinian foreign minister of Armenian descent, previously met with Prime Minister Andrej Plenković and Foreign Minister Gordan Grlić Radman.