Croatia's Prime Minister Accepts Resignation Of Defense Minister Over Death Of 2 Pilots

Muhammad Irfan Published May 08, 2020 | 09:40 PM

Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic said on Friday he had accepted the resignation tabled by Defense Minister Damir Krsticevic after an incident involving a crash of a military aircraft which left two young pilots killed, albeit not attributing any political responsibility for the crash to him

BELGRADE (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 08th May, 2020) Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic said on Friday he had accepted the resignation tabled by Defense Minister Damir Krsticevic after an incident involving a crash of a military aircraft which left two young pilots killed, albeit not attributing any political responsibility for the crash to him.

The ZLIN airplane of the Croatian Air Force crashed on Thursday during a training flight in vicinity of the Adriatic coastal city of Zadar, with two young pilots on board. The country's military grieved the death of 30-year old Australian-born Sen. Lt. Mark Novkovic, the youngest member of the Wings of Storm aerobatic display team, who repatriated to serve its native country. The second pilot, Lt. Luka Jagatic was also considered a promising pilot.

"I decided to accept his resignation, but not because he bears any responsibility. Unfortunately, such accidents occur. I accepted his resignation out of respect for him personally," Plenkovic told reporters after his conversation with the now former minister.

According to the prime minister, Krsticevic, a military man himself, was "shocked greatly" by the accident.

"I personally do not see any connection between his [defense minister's] political responsibility and the fact of the plane's crash," the prime minister said, adding that Krsticevic used to be his "closest associate in the Croatian democratic community and the government and a friend."

The deadly crash on Thursday was the second such incident in Croatian Air Force this year. On January 27, a Kiowa Warrior OH-58 D military helicopter crashed near a residential city on the Adriatic Sea coastline, leaving both pilots killed.

In early April, Krsticevic postponed the first Croatian international air rally CROIMAS 2020, scheduled for May 30 in Zadar, due to the coronavirus pandemic. The event was to mark the 15th anniversary of the Croatian Air Force's Wings of Storm, which included the deceased pilot Novkovic.