Zagreb - The parliamentary Domestic Policy and National Security Committee supported the proposal to appoint General Ivan Turkalj as the head of the Military Security and Intelligence Agency (VSOA), the chairman of that committee, Siniša Hajdaš Dončić, said on Wednesday afternoon.
"After an extensive interview with the candidate nominated by the president and the prime minister, with nine votes in favour and one abstention, the committee gave a preliminary positive opinion on the appointment of Turkalj as the new VSOA director", Hajdaš Dončić (SDP) said after the closed session.
The deputy chair of the Committee, Mario Kapulica (HDZ), told the press that no one from the ruling party abstained from voting. He expressed satisfaction that the Committee fulfilled its legal obligation regarding the appointment of the VSOA director, saying that before the session there had been no doubt what the outcome would be.
Kapulica said that at the session they were assured that progress would be seen in the work of the VSOA.
He underscored that the Committee supported the announcement of an increase in personnel and that, in accordance with the defence and security system strategy and the annual work guidelines, the VSOA will successfully perform its tasks and protect national interests.
On Monday, President Zoran Milanović co-signed the decision on the appointment of General Ivan Turkalj as head of the VSOA, which ended the months-long tug-of-war over the appointment of a successor to General Ivica Kinder.