Commenting on President Zoran Milanovic's latest criticism of Austria over its Covid-19 policy, Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandrokovic said on Monday that telling a country it was doing something wrong or accusing it of Fascism was inappropriate.

“I find it inappropriate to send a message to a country that it is doing something wrong or accuse it of Fascism,” Janrokovic said in an interview with Croatian Radio, when asked to comment on Milanovic’s criticism of Austria’s Covid-19 restrictions.

Asked about Austria’s introduction of an all-out lockdown and its plan to make vaccination against Covid-19 mandatory, Milanovic called it a disaster. He also said his office would summon the Austrian ambassador to convey his concern over “fundamental human freedoms” in that country after the government in Vienna recently summoned the Croatian ambassador over Milanovic’s comments on Covid rules in Austria.

However, Milanovic also said in the town of Nasice on Monday morning that he apologised for having said that the Austrian measures were reminiscent of fascism. “I apologise,” he said.

Jandrokovic: Measures are ‘necessary evil’

“What more can I say, each country has its own rules, that is countries’ sovereign right, I believe the decisions that are being made are being made because experts have suggested it…. those decisions are a necessary evil,” Jandrokovic said.

He also said that he had “only marginally” followed the latest conflict between Milanovic and Defence Minister Mario Banozic, expressing regret that the Croatian Army was still being used for political conflicts. “But time will most certainly bring a clearer picture,” he said.

Asked how detrimental to Croatia’s reputation was the fact that in many important countries it had still not appointed new ambassadors, he said, “It is better to have ambassadors than to not have them.”

“We are not the only country that has found itself in this situation, this delay is not good but one can live with it,” he said.