ZAGREB, March 18, 2018 – The leader of the Democratic Alliance of Vojvodina Croats (DSHV) Tomislav Žigmanov said on Sunday that he would not give up on the demand for a guaranteed seat in the Serbian parliament for the Croat minority in that country, in line with Croatia’s model for the Serb minority, after Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabić said that she was against it.
Commenting on Brnabić’s statement in an interview with Croatian Television on Saturday that the Croat minority should not have a guaranteed seat in the Serbian parliament “because I think we have developed a mechanism to fully protect the rights and freedoms of the ethnic minorities institutionally”, Žigmanov said that he was surprised by her position because members of the Serb minority used that instrument of representation in Kosovo, Montenegro, Macedonia and Romania.
“The issue of guaranteed seats for members of the Croat minority in Serbia is not a matter of opinion of this country’s office-holders, it is Serbia’s obligation arising from Article 9 of (the 2004) agreement with Croatia (on the protection of the Croat minority in Serbia and the Serb minority in Croatia),” Žigmanov told the Croatian-language media in Vojvodina.
On the other hand, Žigmanov commended the opening of dialogue and cooperation with the Serbian state leadership as well as messages by Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić on the need to make the Croat community feel safe and integrate it in Serbian society and decision-making processes. “Let those messages serve as encouragement to freely demonstrate our Croat identity in all situations. Our space of freedom is now bigger, let’s be brave and testify to what we are,” Žigmanov told a party conference in Subotica, in reference to his talks with Vučić on February 20.
Croatia’s Ambassador to Serbia Gordan Bakota said that the status of the Croat minority in Serbia was one of the key issues in relations between Serbia and Croatia and that the DSHV was an important political and social factor. “I can see that the DSHV is aware that this is a very important time for the Croat minority in Serbia and that it has been very active, which is encouraging. Croatian diplomats are ready to assist not only the DSHV, but all other Croat associations and individuals,” said Bakota.
The DSHV is the only active party of the Croat minority in Serbia. It has a representative in the national parliament thanks to a coalition agreement with the opposition Democratic Party, as well as several representatives in the town councils of Subotica, Sombor and Apatin.
