Croatia’s President Zoran Milanovic drew a parallel from Russia’s annexation of Crimea to Kosovo’s independence form Serbia, causing an uproar across the Balkans.
(Bloomberg) — Croatia’s President Zoran Milanovic drew a parallel from Russia’s annexation of Crimea to Kosovo’s independence form Serbia, causing an uproar across the Balkans.
“Who annexed Kosovo? The international community, including us,” Milanovic said Monday in a speech in the Croatian town of Petrinja, where he spoke about the war in Ukraine.
“Kosovo was taken from Serbia by force, it was extraction, a part of Serbian territory was taken way,” he said. “I’m not questioning Kosovo but rather the idea that one can do anything when it suits them, but when the other side does it, it’s a crime.”
The comments from Milanovic, who often takes confrontational positions, contradict Croatia’s recognition of Kosovo’s independence as well as the ruling of the International Court of Justice in the Hague. The Court ruled that Kosovo’s declaration of independence from 2008, a decade after Serbia’s brutal aggression against its own citizens in the province, doesn’t violate international law.
Last year, he opposed Sweden’s and Finland’s accession into NATO, and he has also repeatedly criticized military support for Ukraine, saying Croatia — a European Union and NATO member — should stay out of the conflict.
Milanovic, a former premier, was elected president in early 2020 for a five-year term. His role is a largely ceremonial, though he commands the former Yugoslav republic’s armed forces.
While he reiterated his condemnation of the Russian aggression against Ukraine, he added “it is clear that Crimea will never again be part of Ukraine.”
His comments drew a sharp rebuke from Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic, his main political rival.
“A normal reaction would be the strictest condemnation of such statements, that go against every principle that Croatia stands behind as European Union, NATO member,” he said. “Luckily, our foreign policy is what it is.”
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