Regarding the recent articles and comments in certain Croatian media about the Croatian Ministry of Foreign Affairs' decision to appoint MP Neven Jurica, in agreement with the Croatian President and Prime Minister, as Croatian ambassador to the US, and to request the US approval in a common diplomatic procedure, the MFA wishes to express its dissatisfaction with certain media's reaction
Neven Jurica is a member of the Foreign Policy Committee of the Croatian Parliament, and an experienced diplomat and politician with undeniable merits in creating and developing the democratic and independent Croatia and its foreign affairs service. The ministry wants to reject the accusations that a part of the media has been making about MP Neven Jurica, considering them to be completely unfounded and untrue. Media speculations about the possible reactions from members of the diplomatic corps to Croatia or the US diplomacy regarding the unauthorised and unofficial media coverage of Jurica’s appointment as ambassador to Washington are absurd and inappropriate. The ministry wants to clarify that during Jurica’s career in Croatian diplomacy, that is to say, during his three terms of office as ambassador, there has never been any breaches of duty or inappropriate actions, as certain media wish to insinuate.
The process of appointing and accepting the ambassador is in progress and domestic media are quite unusual in their efforts to influence, prejudice and interpret the future unbiased and official decision of the American side regarding Croatia’s proposal. In that way, the media does not create a serious image about Croatia and its foreign policy, especially now at this stage in the process which is not publicised in any diplomacy, and should not be publicised in Croatia either. At the end of the procedure, of course, the media has the right to express its opinion about the activities of the government bodies, which is after all its immanent public duty in democratic society.
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