ZAGREB, August 27, 2019 – The Croatian government finds SDSS leader Milorad Pupovac’s claims comparing the present-day Croatia to the 1941-1945 the Independent State of Croatia (NDH) and about Croatia’s being a factor of instability in the neighbourhood completely inappropriate and unacceptable.
The Andrej Plenković cabinet on Tuesday issued a press release recalling that the contemporary Croatian state was founded thanks to the sacrifice of people who defended the country in the Defence War and it is not a successor to the NDH either politically, ideologically or legally.
The Independent Democratic Serb Party (SDSS) leader Pupovac said in an interview with the Sarajevo-based Radiosarajevo.ba web portal on Saturday that Croatia was turning into a factor of instability in the area of the former Yugoslavia. Pupovac, whose party is a junior member of the ruling coalition, claimed that in Croatia there were also attempts to rehabilitate the idea of the Ustasha movement.
Considering Pupovac’s long-standing political experience, it is expected of him to refrain from statements that will raise the tensions and social polarisation and benefit protagonists on the extreme sides of the political spectrum in their attempts to impose more radical rhetoric, the government said in response to Hina’s query.
The statement recalls that the government and Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic have condemned in the strongest terms assaults directed against members of the Serb minority which happened recently in Knin, Đevrske, Viskovo, Split and Supetar.
They welcome the prompt response of the police that have detected and pressed charges against the perpetrators of the incidents in Đevrske and Viskovo.
In all such cases the government expects the competent agencies to establish all relevant facts and sanction perpetrators appropriately.
Those are offences impermissible in the contemporary Croatia. Croatia is home to all its citizens and all citizens need to feel that they are safe and protected.
There is no place for violence in Croatia, and the government is aware of its responsibility and is committed to the strengthening of the social inclusiveness and the respect for the rights of all minorities in Croatia in compliance with the highest European and world standards, notably in the context of a growing populism and xenophobia throughout Europe.
The press release recalls that during the formation of his cabinet it was Prime Minister Andrej Plenković who insisted on including parliamentary representatives of all ethnic minorities in the parliamentary majority. At the same time, Plenković expects all political parties and protagonists to behave responsibly so as to prevent the utilisation of incidents for scoring cheap political points and heightening the tensions among the Croatian citizens.
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