Zagreb on Thursday summoned its ambassador to Serbia Gordan Markotic after Serbian Labour Minister Aleksandar Vulin on Wednesday insulted Croatian Prime Minister Zoran Milanovic and General Ante Gotovina and after ICTY war crimes indictee Vojislav Seselj set the Croatian flag on fire in downtown Belgrade.
Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic said in interview with the Jutarnji List and Vecernji List dailies, which will hit the newsstands on Saturday, that although events in Belgrade deserve to be condemned in the strongest terms, pulling the ambassador was a hasty move which, in her opinion, was made conditional on the fact that this is an election year in Croatia.
The ministry said today that by summoning the ambassador for consultations, Croatia has sent a message that rhetorics such as those used by minister Vulin were detrimental for the relations in the region.
Croatian Foreign Minister Vesna Pusic said on Thursday said Croatia had primarily reacted to statements made by a member of the Serbian government, Labour Minister Vulin, about Croatia, General Ante Gotovina, and Prime Minister Milanovic, adding that summoning the Croatian ambassador for consultations was a message that such rhetoric was truly damaging to relations in the region and relations between the two countries.
Pusic on Thursday spoke over the phone with her Serbian counterpart Ivica Dacic on the two countries' relations after the latest tensions caused by offensive statements by Serbian minister Vulin and Seselj's setting of the Croatian flag on fire, and agreed to continue to work on restoring "normal relations between the two countries."
In the meantime, the Serbian Foreign Ministry said in a statement that it would not respond by recalling its diplomatic representatives from Zagreb.
Serbia is strongly committed to further developing cooperation and strengthening trust in the relations with Croatia, which should not be undermined by the inappropriate rhetoric and actions of individuals, the statement said, stressing that criminal proceedings were launched against Seselj over the latest flag incident.
After Serbian President Tomislav Nikolic strongly condemned the public burning of a Croatian flag in Belgrade, Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic sent him a message on Thursday saying that she recognised his sincere desire to strengthen relations between the two countries.