Croatian President Zoran Milanovic on Wednesday accused Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic of a lack of unity in Croatia's policy on the ways to solve the problems of Croats in Bosnia and Herzegovina, adding however that he still has hope that "the Prime Minister will become my ally on the issue."
Speaking to the press while on a visit to the northern Croatian Medjimurje region, Milanovic said those problems would be solved quickly if he and Plenkovic were united. “Everything would be different if Plenkovic and I… spoke, wrote and did the same, but he doesn’t want that.”
“If the two of us had the same stance, that we won’t allow the oppression of Croats (in Bosnia), that would immediately reach the ears of… the highest officials of those states who would realise at once that trouble with Croatia isn’t worth it,” Milanovic claimed. “We have to tell them we won’t allow that. We are in the EU and NATO, and we must tell them that nothing will pass with which we don’t agree.”
He said the problems of others were respected, alluding to Finland’s and Sweden’s feeling of being under threat by Russia, while Croatian problems were ignored. He said, “I have nothing against (Finland and Sweden), but I’m not being paid to fulfill their wishes.”
Milanovic said Croatia wanted very little in Bosnia and Herzegovina. “Only compliance with the Bosnia’s Constitutional Court’s decision which has been in force six years already and orders stopping the robbing of Croats, which has turned in the meantime into abuse and oppression, and that they be allowed to elect their own representatives, instead of Bosniaks doing it for them.”
“Croats in Bosnia want what I’m advocating,” Milanovic said, adding that “why Plenkovic is resisting that (is) unfathomable (and) cowardly.”
“To us, it’s a thousand times more important what is going on in Bosnia and Herzegovina than in Sievierodonetsk,” he said.
According to him, the nominal Croat representative in the Bosnia’s Presidency, Zeljko Komsic, and the president of the strongest Bosniak party, Bakir Izetbegovic, are the ones “trampling on the Dayton agreement,” not the president of the Federation entity, Marinko Cavara, whom the United States has sanctioned over breaching Dayton and ethno-centric behaviour.
Milanovic said Cavara “behaves like the representative of those who elected him” and called out the Croatian government for “keeping quiet” about it. “What kind of message is that to Bosnia and Herzegovina Croats? Frightening.”
President and PM united on Serbia
Two days ago, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic commented on Plenkovic’s statement that Serbia must choose between the EU and Russia by saying that he was not fascinated by such threats and commanding tone.
Milanovic said Vucic’s criticism of Plenkovic was “irrelevant” and agreed with Plenkovic’s words. “Serbia must decide where it wants to go. If it wants the EU, it will have to behave according to European criteria, and Croatia will advocate those criteria.”
