Plenkovic: Vulin is not contributing to calming of tensions

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We cannot build up a new dialogue and new relations with Serbia, if there are continuous statements that are detrimental to our mutual relations, said Prime Minister of Croatia Andrej Plenkovic, following the Jasenovac commemoration on Sunday.

Explaining the decision by Croatian Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, which said that Serbian Defence Minister Aleksandar Vulin was not welcome in Croatia for the time being, Plenkovic said the decision was justified.

“We want to build up one new dialogue and new relations with Serbia, which was aggressor on Croatia in the 1990-1995 period, and we cannot do that if there are continuous statements which do not contribute to that, but which offend the Republic of Croatia and are detrimental to our mutual relations,” underlined Plenkovic.

According to him, Vulin is not a person who contributes to the calming of tensions.

“We clearly condemn everything that was done by the Ustasha regime during the 1941-1945 period, but we also look towards the future,” said the prime minister.

As for the Croatian president’s visit to Serbia, which was to follow the recent visit of the Serbian president to Croatia, Plenkovic said this would be arranged at a best possible moment.

“Let me remind you, Croatia is the one extending the hand of dialogue and the one who wants cooperation,” he added.