Croatia slams Bosnian Serb politician's statements that disrespect its sovereignty

While visiting the Croatian town of Gracac to mark the celebration of a Serb Orthodox holiday Bosnian Serb politician Stanivukovic said that "the Republika Srpska Krajina should not be forgotten" and that "this land belongs to us".

He was referring to the self-proclaimed region that covered the occupied part of the territory of Croatia during the war in the early 1990's.

Croatia's Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs today described the statements as unacceptable and stressed that all guests in Croatia are expected to respect the country’s sovereignty.

Stanivuković's remarks, which call into question the Homeland War as well as the 1995 liberating operations Flash and Storm "that dismantled the terrorist para-state known as the Republika Srpska Krajina, are absolutely unacceptable and do not contribute to good neighbourly relations," the ministry said in a statement.

The Croatian ministry says that historical facts must not be distorted including the liberation operations Storm and Flash, which freed areas that had been under the control of rebel Croatian Serbs.

"All ethnic minorities in Croatia, including the Serb minority, live in safety and enjoy guaranteed rights and freedoms, and we expect the same for Croats in the Banja Luka region and throughout Republika Srpska," the statement said.