President Milanović in Vukovar: Croatia is an independent country that thinks for itself; I will put a veto on enlargement at the NATO summit
After attending a special session of the Vukovar City Council held today on the occasion of Municipal Day, the President of the Republic of Croatia Zoran Milanović took questions from reporters about the current political issues.
President Milanović commented on the allegations made by former Russian President Medvedev regarding a threat of Ukrainian retaliation: “I am not on the side of Russia, nor do I know Medvedev, nor do I want to be pulled on such hooks. I am on the Croatian side, I am fighting for the Croatian state and people and I am trying to obtain for them as much as possible.”
“The Russians are playing their game, they are the aggressor in this war, and we have a clique in power that is actively working against the interests of the Croatian people in Bosnia and Herzegovina. I have sworn to protect them as well and I will die politically if necessary,” said the President of the Republic, adding that the Prime Minister must say what his position will be on the issue of Finland and Sweden joining NATO, which came up all of a sudden.
“That’s what we’re talking about. We are a modern, independent country that thinks for itself. If Cyprus can put a veto on sanctions against Lukashenko until the gas exploitation issue with Turkey is resolved, why couldn’t Croatia do this? As the Head of State representing Croatia at the NATO summit, I will put a veto on the invitation. That is what I can do if (the matter) will be decided on at that level. Because, this can take place at a lower level and I am not sure that I can arrange that there; I am not sure that I can force the Croatian ambassador to express my position at the Council of Ambassadors, which can also send out an invitation. He would have to be neutral. In that case the Government would have to say that it absolutely and unconditionally supports inviting those countries to NATO without Croatia’s problem being solved. That is betrayal then. Then we’ll know what we’re dealing with here,” President Milanović underscored.
Responding to a reporter’s question on whether success can be achieved on this issue despite political pressure and given the divided opinions within Croatia, the President of the Republic said: “That is what this is about, we have one side that is treacherous. These are people who have some private motives of their own plus hatred towards me. They will have to explain that to the Croatian public.”
“We have a treacherous government that betrays the Croatian people in Bosnia and Herzegovina, which demands so little, the basic foundations of equality – nothing else. Not a civic state as some imagine it, but a state that respects the ethnic rights of ethnic communities,” he said. Commenting further on the European values being imposed on Bosnia and Herzegovina, the President added: “The fact that there are Croats, Serbs and Bosniaks in Bosnia and Herzegovina is expected to be completely ignored, so the Bosniaks can outvote the Croats.”
“These are very important days. I will not give up on my position. I know that most Croatian people support it. It is my duty to fight by peaceful diplomatic means, as is done by other normal states, for our vital rights. There is at least half a million people in Bosnia and Herzegovina who are in real danger of being robbed. It’s already being done, cynically with a smile,” the President of the Republic of Croatia said concluding his remarks to the press.