President Milanović: I do not see any reason why Croatia should not recognize Palestine
“The rotation of ambassadors is clearly normatively specified, and above that is the Constitution of the Republic of Croatia which stipulates cooperation between the president of the Republic and the prime minister. Without cooperation there is no agreement. Since there has been no cooperation, ambassadors have not been rotated for five years now. That is harmful to the structure and the hierarchy of diplomacy. It makes me sad, I have tried to reach an agreement, but there has been no cooperation with the Government. The rotation of ambassadors, which is an imperative, is possible only if there is cooperation, if decisions are made jointly, in cooperation between the president and the government. That cooperation is the basis of the Croatian Constitution”, the President of the Republic Zoran Milanović told the ambassadors, the consuls general, the consuls and the military attachés of the Republic of Croatia taking part in a regular annual conference of Croatian diplomats in Zagreb.
President Milanović further talked about foreign policy topics that are especially important for Croatia, including the status of Croats in Bosnia and Herzegovina: “Nothing has changed in BiH. Not only Croats cannot elect their representatives, but it is not at all clear when and if they will be able to elect them at all. Croatia does not use the instruments it has as a country – namely membership in the EU and NATO – to achieve its goals and protected its interests. Nothing will change in BiH unless the government and the president of the Republic act together, if we agree that this is our goal. But if it is someone’s goal to maintain the situation in BiH as it currently and has been in the past decade, then they should know that that is not the wish of the majority of Croats in BiH“.
Speaking about the situation in the Middle East, President Milanović addressed the issue of the recognition of Palestine. “A whole series of states have recognized Palestine, even some states of the former Yugoslavia. Croatia is silent. For me, the recognition of Palestine is a moral issue and there is absolutely no reason or justification for not recognizing the Palestinian people’s right to a state. Why is Croatia silent? I do not see any reason why Croatia should not recognize Palestine”, President Milanović stated.
He reiterated his position on the war in Ukraine, namely that Croatia can provide humanitarian aid and equipment, but must not get directly involved in the conflict. “I did everything and will do everything in the future to prevent any involvement whatsoever of Croatian soldiers in the war in Ukraine, including participation in training centres. Whether someone will furnish military equipment to the Ukrainian army, that is not within my remit and I will not get involved in that”, he noted.
Apart from some hundred Croatian ambassadors, consuls general, consuls and military attachés, were representatives from the Ministry of European and European Affairs and officials from the Office of the President of the Republic.
PHOTO: Office of the President of the Republic of Croatia / Tomislav Bušljeta