Newly-appointed Foreign Minister Marija Pejčinović Burić on Croatia’s foreign policy.
The Serbian law on regional jurisdiction for war crimes is detrimental to regional co-operation and should be put out of force, said Croatia’s new Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Marija Pejčinović Burić on Wednesday, on the eve of the official handover of duties at the Foreign Ministry, reports N1 on June 21, 2017.
Pejčinović Burić said that she would describe Serbia as the neighbouring country with which Croatia has the largest number of open issues and the most complex relations. In her words, it is good that there are open chapters in Serbia’s accession negotiations with the EU, because certain processes within the framework of these chapters will also affect Croatia’s relations with Serbia.
“We have indications that discussions could be relaunched. There is the question of the regional jurisdiction for war crimes which Serbia has taken over, and we think that this law is a hybrid between various possible legislation that exists in that sense. It is quite questionable and detrimental regarding regional cooperation, and we think we should discuss putting it out of force or changing its provisions,” she said. “The issue of missing and detained person is one of the first to be put on the agenda. Other problems are related to the border question, and we will soon form a border commission in the government,” the Minister announced.
As far as Slovenia is concerned, Croatia wants good relations with this neighbouring country, but the border issue has to be resolved. Given the announcement by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague that on 29 June it would issue a decision on the maritime border between Slovenia and Croatia, the Minister pointed out that Croatia had left the arbitration proceedings in 2015 since Slovenia had compromised the agreement. “It does not exist for us, and everyone has been informed about it. According to the Vienna Convention, we have made every effort to leave this agreement, and it cannot be enforced,” the Minister said, commenting on statements made by some Slovenian officials that Croatia should be forced to respect the arbitration decision.
Pejčinović Burić said that she would continue with the current foreign policy and that all important issues remained the same. These include relations with the neighbourhood, primarily with Bosnia and Herzegovina, the affirmation of Croatia’s Central European identity, the policies towards Croats outside the homeland, and the activities within NATO and the EU.
As for the status of Croats in Bosnia and Herzegovina, they are currently perhaps in the most difficult position since the war, she said. “When the Dayton Agreement was signed, it was thought that the war would be stopped and that the country would become a stable modern state. But, the process changed and did not turn out as imagined,” the Minister said. The number of Croats is lower than before the war, and they are in fact unable to fully enjoy their democratic rights, she said, stressing that it was important to preserve Croatian identity through fostering the Croatian language.
Pejčinović Burić will participate as a guest in a 10 July meeting of the Visegrad Plus group in Budapest. “I think it is essential to work together with the countries of the Central European dimension, which is based on the strengthening of connections, energy and infrastructure,” she said.
She also commented on the start of negotiations on the exit of Great Britain from the European Union. “The negotiations have begun, and it has been agreed that the monthly rhythm of negotiations will be intense and that a variety of topics will be discussed within each month. We will receive reports about negotiations on a monthly basis,” said the Minister. “Although we have a relatively small number of citizens living in the United Kingdom, just a couple of thousand people, we have a duty to ensure free movement of Croats towards that country,” she concluded.
