Croatia on Friday abstained from voting on the Palestinian bid for full membership of the United Nations because the resolution did not contain solutions "that would go hand in hand with the revival of the Middle East peace process," Croatian Foreign Minister Gordan Grlic Radman said on Saturday.

“There can’t be a revival of the peace process and a resolution that doesn’t include it. These can’t be separate processes, they have to be compatible. Recognition of the Palestinian state, yes, but once they agree on it. It must be the result of both parties, and we don’t have it here,” Grlic Radman told the press in Zagreb before a round table discussion entitled “Europe Day – Ahead of European Elections”.

The UN General Assembly supported the Palestinian application for full membership on Friday, saying that it met the conditions and calling on the Security Council to positively reconsider the issue. The resolution was carried by 143 votes in favour, nine against, including the United States and Israel, and 25 abstentions, including Croatia.

Grlic Radman said that Croatia always supported a two-state peaceful solution, “which implies the establishment of a Palestinian state and ensuring security for Israel.”

“Regardless of the outcome of the vote, even if all the countries were in favour, it cannot be valid and legitimate, it cannot have the force of implementation until it has been approved by the Security Council. This matter will certainly be further considered to reach a consolidating solution,” Grlic Radman said.

During his talk at the round table, organised by the Croatian Pan-European Union and the Hans Seidel Foundation, Grlic Radman spoke of the forthcoming elections for the European Parliament, which will be held in Croatia on 9 June, saying that “it is good that we are promoting an even greater turnout of Croatian citizens.”

“It is important that after the elections, Europe remains united and strong, ready to deal with all geopolitical challenges in an ever-changing world that is becoming more and more complex. At the same time, Europe must remain open and provide membership to those countries that respect our values,” he said.

In March, the European Council approved the opening of accession negotiations with Bosnia and Herzegovina, calling on the country’s ruling coalition to continue implementing reforms without waiting for the formal start of the negotiation process.

“If the accession negotiations had not been opened, Bosnia and Herzegovina would have become even weaker and would have been a prey to various other tendencies, separatism on the one hand and unitarism on the other,” Grlic Radman said.