Now they are all back together, just like old times; the President is in the Pantovčak residence, Prime Minister in the Banski Dvori government building and Parliament Speaker across St. Mark’s Square.
Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović, Prime Minister Andrej Plenković and Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković began their diplomatic careers at almost the same time, on the same floor of the Foreign Ministry, Jutarnji List wrote on May 5, 2017.
They were Tuđman’s “young forces” of diplomacy led then by head of diplomacy dr. Mate Granić, working in the second half of the 1990s alongside Zoran Milanović, Igor Pokaz, Joško Klisović, Andro Krstulović Opara and Pjer Šimunović, to name a few prominent figures of today.
They used to call them the dream team, all were exceptionally ambitious, with good teachers such as Ivan Šimonović, former Justice Minister whose diplomatic career highlight came when he was elected in May of 2010 as Assistant to Secretary General of the United Nations Ban Ki-Moon, in charge of human rights.
Later they all went their own way: Gordan Jandroković replaced Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović as head of the Foreign Ministry, Andrej Plenković returned from diplomatic service abroad on request by Jandroković, while Grabar-Kitarović moved from the Croatian Embassy in Washington to being Assistant Secretary General in NATO.
Now they are all back together, just like old times; the President is in the Pantovčak residence, Prime Minister in Banski Dvori government building and Parliament Speaker across St. Mark’s Square. This is also the first time after 2000 and the presidential elections that HDZ holds three key positions in the state.
