Addressing the UN General Assembly on Wednesday, Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic called on world leaders to act together, not just in crisis management situations but in spreading hope and optimism.

“The United Nations is a place where we must show our willingness to act together,” Grabar-Kitarovic said in her address to the 73rd session of the UN General Assembly in New York.

“Our adversaries are many: poverty, hunger, terrorism, extremism and instability, lack of education, gender inequality and exclusion of women in many societies, environmental hazards, endangered security and trampled human dignity,” she said, adding that world leaders should think of themselves “as a team that needs to work together, to take advantage of our strengths and to address our weaknesses in order to make our world a better place and to inspire excellence globally.”

“This summer – of all things – football triggered a global response, uniting us for a moment in our common aspirations for excellence,” she said, adding she had received many congratulatory letters from all corners of the world.

“Croatia – a country not big in terms of the size of its territory or the number of its population or even its economic means – has thus become a metaphor for all of these kind people who congratulated us, of what a country can do to inspire others and to arrive on top of the world, winning the hearts of people worldwide, and rousing enthusiasm that each of their countries can do the same,” she said.

She confirmed Croatia’s strong support for further EU enlargement to Southeast Europe.

“Resolving all outstanding legacies of war, while constructively engaging in regional cooperation and good neighbourly relations is of course essential,” she said.

She condemned “inflammatory and revisionist rhetoric”, saying it was only spurred by the need for domestic political circumstances, but has long-lasting negative consequences on the region.

She spoke about the state of affairs in Bosnia and Herzegovina, warning about a “risk of legal uncertainty and political and institutional instability” following the October elections.

The risk comes from “the failure to amend the electoral framework so that it fully respects the rights and equality of the three constituent peoples – Bosniaks, Croats, and Serbs – in line with the Constitutional Court decision on the legitimate and proportionate representation of constituent peoples at all levels of government, including the Presidency,” she said.

Grabar-Kitarovic also spoke about the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue.

“We should be cautious and extremely careful when it comes to proposals with potential regional implications, most notably the ideas regarding territorial exchanges,” she said, adding that could potentially “reopen the Pandora’s box of potential new territorial claims, that would provoke serious instability and security threats.”

“In order to face all the adversities and adversaries that I mention in my speech, both as delivered and in the more complete, written version that you have received, in your own Missions, we must show determination to take on the risk of decision-making. We must open ourselves to new ideas. And we must show emotion, empathy and, above all, enthusiasm. As Nelson Mandela, whose centenary we celebrated two days ago, said, it always seems impossible until it’s done,” she concluded.

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