Speaking on Croatian Television in Zagreb on Monday, Mrkic said "the printing of textbooks in Croatian has already begun" and that it was no longer an outstanding issue between Serbia and Croatia.
The chair of the Croat National Council's executive committee (HNV), Darko Lukendic, said the solving of that issue had not even begun, dubbing Mrkic's statement as scandalous and untrue.
The leadership of the HNV, the highest Croat representative body in Serbia, described as disturbing Mrkic's statement that one should not allow "the artificial making of problems given that their solving has begun."
Lukendic said the printing of textbooks for about 400 children in Croatian departments in Serbia had been an issue for ten years now, since classes in Croatian were introduced in several elementary and secondary schools in Vojvodina.
He said Serbian state bodies had not ensured the textbooks, forcing the HNV to buy them in Croatia, and that these were not fully aligned with the Serbian syllabi.