ZAGREB, August 25, 2019 – Croatia’s Foreign and European Affairs Ministry says that the statement by Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić that the armed rebellion of local Serbs against Croatia’s authorities in the early 1990s aimed at undermining the Constitutional and legal order was justified is absolutely unacceptable.
The ministry calls on Serbia to abandon the rhetoric that is detrimental to the bilateral relations as well as to stop manipulating the facts and start enhancing the status of the ethnic Croat minority.
Ministry warns about Serbia’s attempts to downplay its responsibility for aggression against Croatia
“The Republic of Croatia refutes any attempt of downplaying Serbia’s responsibility for causing the armed conflict and aggression against Croatia’s state territory, which were the results of the Great Serbia policy of Slobodan Milošević,” the ministry underscores in a press release it issued on Sunday.
Zagreb recalls that many relevant resolutions of the UN Security Council and General Assembly, verdicts of the Hague-based UN-tribunal for war crimes in former Yugoslavia (ICTY) as well as the judgement of the International Court of Justice in the case of Croatia’s genocide lawsuit against Serbia and Serbia’s counter-suit, clearly speak about Serbia’s responsibility for these developments in the 1990s.
Furthermore, these continuous attempts to interfere in the internal affairs of a neighbouring country is something that makes a distinction between the policies led by Serbia and Croatia.
“Contrary to such Serbian attempts, Croatia is interested in the stability of its neighbourhood and is open to transfer its own experiences to its neighbouring countries during their journey to the European Union.”
“We do not allow the disrespect for the fact that Croatia is a sovereign and independent country, created following the democratically expressed will of its people (to have its state) and defended during the imposed war,” the ministry says reiterating Zagreb’s commitment to developing harmonious good-neighbourly relations with all neighbours.
Croatia provides its minorities with the highest level of protection of their rights and is building a tolerant and inclusive society based on the rule of law and trust among citizens.
“Croatia calls on Serbia to enhance the status of the Croat national minority in the Republic of Serbia, in accordance with the obligations it has assumed, instead of manipulating the facts, and to abandon the rhetoric aimed at reviving the defeated projects detrimental to the relations between the two neighbouring countries.”
Following the recent incidents in two cafes near Knin in which guests were assaulted while watching a TV broadcast of the Belgrade-based Zrvena Zvezda’s football match, Vučić told Serbian media on Saturday that “it is understandable” that 30 years ago the largest part of local Serbs launched a rebellion against Croatia’s authorities.
Vučić described those incidents as “awful” and promised Serbia’s help to its people in Croatia.
The 21 August assault against guests in a cafe in the village of Uzdolje near Knin is qualified by the Šibenik county law enforcement and prosecutorial authorities as an act of causing riot, the Šibenik police said on Saturday. The perpetrators, who are facing criminal charges for their riotous behaviour, have not yet been identified. The offence carries a prison sentence from six months to five years. As far as a similar incident in the Đevirske village is concerned, misdemeanour charges have been filed against five people and one person is charged with a criminal offence.
More news about relations between Croatia and Serbia can be found in the Politics section.
