The Croatian government on Tuesday welcomed the final ruling in the case against Bosnian Serb wartime commander Ratko Mladic which confirmed his verdict of life imprisonment for war crimes, describing it as "appropriate."

“The Croatian Government welcomes the long-awaited ruling of the Appeals Chamber of the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals which confirms the harshest sentence of life imprisonment for Ratko Mladic and considers it appropriate,” state agency Hina said, citing an unsigned press release from the Croatian government.

“The government notes that Mladic has been given a final verdict for some of the gravest and most cruel crimes committed in the territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina, that as a participant in several joint criminal enterprises he committed genocide, the most cruel crimes against humanity and violations of laws and customs of war, with the aim of permanently removing Bosniaks and Croats from some areas of Bosnia and Herzegovina,” Hina reported what the press release said.

According to the unsigned press release, the government also “expressed dissatisfaction” that the final verdict “did not establish the participation of the highest officials of the Republic of Serbia in a joint criminal enterprise resulting in the commission of the gravest violations of international humanitarian law,” Hina said.

The government also “expressed regret and dissatisfaction” that “Ratko Mladić was not indicted and convicted for numerous crimes committed during the aggression on the Republic of Croatia, where he started his bloody campaign, continuing it in Bosnia and Herzegovina.”

“We hope this ruling will bring at least some peace and satisfaction to the victims of his crimes and their families,” Hina quoted the press release.