Last night, the Serbian Ministry of Foreign Affairs published a recommendation to Serbian citizens to refrain from traveling to Croatia from August 1 to 10. The Croatian Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs said that it seems that this recommendation is primarily driven by domestic political motives.
Serbia recommends that its citizens not travel to Croatia
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs advises citizens of the Republic of Serbia that, if they find themselves in Croatia during the specified period, they should avoid gatherings and other public gatherings that carry the risk of incidents,” states a statement published on the Serbian Ministry’s website.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) statement does not provide more detailed reasons for this recommendation, but it can be linked to the events that will mark the anniversary of the military-police operation Storm in Croatia during that period.
MFEA: Serbia’s recommendation not to travel to Croatia is “domestic political”
“Serbia’s decision to recommend its citizens not to travel to Croatia at the beginning of August is driven by Belgrade’s domestic political motives,” announced the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs on Tuesday.
The MFEA reacted a day later with a statement emphasizing that every country has the right to issue recommendations to its citizens regarding travel abroad, in accordance with its own assessments.
“However,” the Croatian ministry continued, “in this case, one gets the impression that such recommendations are primarily driven by domestic political motives, and not by assessments based on objective criteria or real security indicators.”
The MFA emphasizes in the statement that according to all relevant indicators, including those of Eurostat, Croatia, as one of the most visited tourist destinations in Europe, is also one of the safest countries in the European Union.
The recommendation of the Serbian authorities was commented on in our program this morning by the rector of the University of Defence and Security “Dr. Franjo Tuđman” Ivica Lučić.
“In fact, it is about creating a psychosis that is always present in August. Serbia, or rather the current government, tries to mobilize the public every year by creating an impression of threat and insecurity. The goal is to portray Croatia as an enemy and change the perception of Operation Storm,” said Ivo Lučić, retired general and rector of the “Dr. Franjo Tuđman” University of Defence and Security.
He pointed out that this summer he was convinced that numerous Serbian citizens are staying in Croatia without any problems, while Croatian citizens, in contrast, often face inconveniences in Serbia.
“There are many people from Serbia on our coast, there are also some in tourism, and no one has had any problems. I do not see the need for a special comment, this is about political mobilization,” said Lučić.
“They cannot face the past. Croatia is very proud of these days. “They mean love for the homeland, love for Croatia, love for the Croatian people,” commented former Foreign Minister Mate Granić on the recommendation of the Serbian authorities.
Source: HRT