President Milanović: The HDZ has done nothing for Croats in BiH, and the Homeland Movement obviously doesn’t want to deal with state policy

“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,” the President of the Republic Zoran Milanović said in response to a question on what he expects from the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ)–Homeland Movement (DP) government in regard to the protection of the rights of Croats in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The President paid a working visit today to the cities of Tuzla and Brčko in Bosnia and Herzegovina, where he marked the anniversary of the establishment of two brigades of the Croatian Defence Council.

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 Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) 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,” President Milanović added, reminding 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, President Milanović 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,” President Milanović said and added that Croatia can do that because it is a member of NATO and the EU.