Croatian Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Gordan Grlic Radman on Thursday labeled Serbia’s recent protest note to Croatia “bizarre,” adding that he had never received a “stranger” diplomatic communication.
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“It is bizarre. But for them to talk about media freedom? It’s either a joke or it is possibly motivated by domestic politics, with clear pre-election connotations” Grlic Radman said in Zagreb, according to the Hina news agency.
He emphasized that media freedom is “one of the fundamental European freedoms” in Croatia, stressing that any nation aspiring to join the European Union (EU) must respect it.
“Therefore, these allegations are completely absurd, even bizarre. I won’t comment on them further, it’s not worth wasting breath on,” the Croatian Foreign Minister added.
His remarks came in response to a reporter's question regarding the protest note that the Serbian Ministry of Foreign Affairs sent to Croatia, alleging meddling in Serbia’s domestic politics and election campaign.
The Serbian state TV (RTS) reported that the note slammed “unacceptable attempts at foreign interference in electoral processes, as well as the way certain Croatian media outlets are reporting on the political situation in Serbia.”
Aleksandar Vucic, Serbia’s outgoing president and lead candidate for the United Serbia list, claimed on Thursday that no country had ever interfered in another nation’s elections as extensively or brutally as Croatia is meddling in Serbia's upcoming parliamentary elections.
Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic dismissed Serbia’s protest note as “complete nonsense,” rejecting the suggestion that Croatia was interfering in Serbia’s political process and election campaign.
The Croatian Journalists’ Association (HND) also fired back at the allegations in the protest note, warning that it represents an alarming attempt at intimidation. The association cautioned that it could signal potential border closures or repression targeting all Croatian journalists planning to cover the elections in Serbia.
Teme