Brnabić-Vojnić exchange escalates rhetoric between Serbia, Croatia
The President of the Croatian National Council in Serbia and Croatian Parliament member Jasna Vojnić rejected a statement by Ana Brnabić, who accused Zagreb of being behind student protests, saying that the Serbian Parliament speaker’s remarks only fuel hostility between the two nations.
Ana Brnabić, the Speaker of the Serbian Parliament and a senior official of the ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS), had claimed that students protesting against the government receive the strongest foreign support “from Zagreb,” which she described as having a “strategic interest” in overthrowing President Aleksandar Vučić’s government.
She further said she could not understand how people born and living in Serbia could work toward what she described as “the strategic interest of Croatia,” CE Report quotes FENA.
Responding to these claims, Jasna Vojnić reiterated the words of Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković, stating that Croatia does not interfere in the internal affairs of Serbia.
“Croatia in no way supports anything happening in the Republic of Serbia, especially not these protests that are being mentioned. Clearly and loudly—no,” Vojnić said.
She added that such statements are regrettable because they do not contribute to improving relations between the two countries.
“Croatia does not want to be part of Serbia’s internal disputes, but rather a constructive partner,” she said, adding that such rhetoric unnecessarily increases hostility between the two nations.
It is noted that a large anti-government protest organized by students was held in Belgrade on Saturday, where demonstrators demanded accountability from the authorities and called for early elections, Hina reported.
Photo: Facebook/Jasna Vojnić
