Croatian President Zoran Milanovic said during a visit to the northeastern Bosnian city of Tuzla on Saturday that he had no expectations from the new Croatian government regarding the protection of the rights of Croats in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

“This is the country of Croats, Bosniaks and Serbs. They must be equal, they must all have the same rights, the right to choose their national representatives. In this regard, the HDZ (Croatian Democratic Union) has done absolutely nothing and will do nothing. And the Homeland Movement (DP) can put the screws on them if they want, but they obviously don't want to, because they don't want to deal with a real state policy and the national security system,” Milanovic told the press when asked what he expected from the HDZ and DP coalition government regarding the protection of the rights of Croats in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

“Relations with Bosnia and Herzegovina and the position of Croats in Bosnia and Herzegovina are a matter of Croatia's national security,” Milanovic added, according to a press release from the President's Office.

He is in Tuzla on a working visit to mark the anniversary of the establishment of two Croatian Defence Council (HVO) brigades, one in Tuzla and the other in Brcko.

“I don't expect anything from the HDZ, and the Homeland Movement must decide whether to engage in politics or not. I have neither good nor bad expectations, it's up to them. The HDZ did nothing,” Milanovic said.

He recalled that Croats cannot elect their own member of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina and “that needs to be changed”.

Since the proposal to amend the election law put forward by the HDZ of Bosnia and Herzegovina was not adopted, Milanovic was asked by journalists whether he would continue to advocate election law proposals such as the HDZ's.

“These are not the views of the HDZ, these are the views of all Croats in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and these are also the views of the vast majority of people in Croatia. But someone needs to stand up for it and impose it as a topic of conversation,” Milanovc said and added that Croatia can do that because it is a member of NATO and the EU.