ZAGREB, September 4, 2019 – Prime Minister Andrej Plenković said on Tuesday, regarding the possible departure of the Independent Democratic Serb Party (SDSS) from the ruling coalition, that he would first like to hear that party’s opinion.
Asked by reporters during a visit to Virovitica whether he had met with the head of the HVIDR disabled war veterans association, Josip Đakić, given that the HVIDR was insisting that the SDSS leave the coalition, Plenković said that they would discuss the matter, but that first he wanted to hear the opinion of the SDSS.
Plenković said it was inappropriate for the HVIDR to dictate who his HDZ party should form a coalition with. “This will be decided by the HDZ and its partners from the parliamentary majority,” the prime minister told the press after a meeting of the Council for Slavonia, Baranja and Srijem. “We’re not dictating others what to think or what messages they should send to the public,” he added.
Asked if President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović had the full support of the HDZ organisations in the Slavonia region, given that independent presidential candidate Miroslav Škoro is popular there, Plenković said that she enjoyed the support of the entire HDZ. “I don’t see who could bring that into question and how.”
Plenković said that the settlement on the restructuring of the former Agrokor conglomerate must be honoured. “The settlement will certainly be honoured by the newly-formed Fortenova Group, and the obligation to pay the border debt, as agreed under the settlement, will be honoured,” the PM said, adding that this was not questionable and that neither the Fortenova Group nor suppliers had doubts about it.
He said that it was important that the management and suppliers reach an agreement and that the government would help them agree on the pace of payments. He said that Economy Minister Darko Horvat was in talks with the management and suppliers and that he was sure that a solution would be found.
The meeting of the Council for Slavonia, Baranja and Srijem concluded with the signing of 17 agreements for development projects in the region, worth 233 million kuna (31.5 million euro).
Plenković said that the next Council meeting would be held in Vukovar in the autumn.
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