Minister Grlić Radman: Anti-Croatian hysteria in Serbia unnecessary

The anti-Croatian hysteria that is coming from Serbia is unnecessary, and is being generated to mask Serbia’s passivity to ensure the Croat minority the same rights that the Serb minority is enjoying in Croatia, said Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Gordan Grlić Radman

The anti-Croatian hysteria that is coming from Serbia is unnecessary, and is being generated to mask Serbia’s passivity to ensure the Croat minority the same rights that the Serb minority is enjoying in Croatia, said Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Gordan Grlić Radman on Friday during his visit to Podgorica.

The minister was asked to comment on statements by Serbian officials, who, following his announcement that Croatia will boost its troops in KFOR, said that Grlić Radman would like to be able to deploy “occupation forces on Serbia’s territory” but that for that he would need much more “than what he can come up with together with (Kosovo PM Albin) Kurti.”

Grlić Radman in Podgorica said that during his visit to the 34th Croatian KFOR contingent in Pristina he spoke about increasing the number of Croatian troops in Kosovo, which is Croatia’s right as a responsible NATO member state, and is puzzled why “anyone on the sidelines would be offended by that statement”.

“This anti-Croatian hysteria, or whatever it is, that is coming from Serbia is unnecessary. Perhaps it is being generated to mask Serbia’s passivity to ensure the Croat minority the same rights that the Serb minority is enjoying in Croatia,” the minister said.

Resolving all outstanding issues

Grlić Radman underscored that Croatia, as a responsible EU member state, had adopted all European values and that Serbs in Croatia had three permanent seats in the parliament, in line with the 2004 agreement, which the Serbian side is not honouring.

The minister also said that Serbia is making political decisions aimed at breaking up the unity of the Croat community is Serbia by creating the so-called Bunjevci language, “and we know perfectly well that Bunjevci are a Croatian ethnical group”.

“We want to resolve all outstanding issues with Serbia. Get an answer on the 1869 missing persons. We also want reparations for prisoners held at camps in Vojvodina and Serbia,” Grlić Radman underlined.

 

Press releases