ZAGREB, May 12 (Hina) - Diplomacy must solve the issue of disputable questionnaires which Croatian officials must fill before travelling to countries in which those questions are required for obtaining a visa, the parliamentary
Foreign Affairs Committee said on Monday.
ZAGREB, May 12 (Hina) - Diplomacy must solve the issue of disputable
questionnaires which Croatian officials must fill before
travelling to countries in which those questions are required for
obtaining a visa, the parliamentary Foreign Affairs Committee said
on Monday. #L#
The Committee discussed a problem which occurred last month when a
parliamentary delegation, led by parliament president Zlatko
Tomcic, had to cancel their trip to Canada because they were
required to fill a questionnaire in which some questions "are
contrary to Croatian laws", head of the committee Zdravko Tomac
said.
"We respect the right of every country to conduct its visa policy
the way it wants for the sake of national security, but we demand the
protection of the dignity of our country and our people," Tomac
said.
The questionnaire refers to the Homeland War in Croatia and the visa
seeker must, among other things, specify which military unit he was
in, what he did during the war and who were his superiors, Tomac
said.
When MP are taking private trips they cannot ask for special
treatment, Tomac says, but this was a parliamentary delegation
which has been officially invited to visit Canada.
A Croatian parliamentary delegation plans to travel to Australia in
June and the visa system there also requests that a similar
questionnaire be filled.
"We are confident that diplomacy will first temporarily solve this
issue and that our delegation will travel to Australia. This will be
an encouragement to the permanent solving of this problem with
Australia," says Tomac.
Should the diplomatic endeavour fail, Croatia will not impose
reciprocal measures.
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