Serbia confronts Croatia on ‘satellite’ comment, denies Russian influence

A diplomatic spat has erupted between Serbia and Croatia after Croatian Foreign Minister Gordan Grlić Radman labeled Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic a Russian ‘satellite’ in the Balkans.

Serbian officials have responded strongly to this characterization.

President Vucic countered on Instagram, stating: “The Croatian minister not only brutally interferes in the internal affairs of Serbia, but as usual, he lies and insults the Serbian people and threatens its citizens.”

He further challenged Radman’s assertion, saying: “Grlic Radman is right about one thing: maybe I am someone’s satellite, but I have never been anyone’s servant, which cannot be said for Grlić Radman.”

The Serbian Foreign Ministry sent a protest note to Croatia, denouncing Radman’s comments as unacceptable.

The ministry criticized the remarks for perpetuating “an atmosphere of hatred toward  the Republic of Serbia and the Serbian people” and undermining efforts to foster peace and stability in the region.

The Croatian Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs defended Radman’s statement.

“As we have already pointed out, no one can be a candidate for EU membership and use all the benefits of that while unprincipledly and calculatedly avoiding condemnation of the Russian aggression and EU policy related to it,” it emphasized.

The Ministry dismissed Serbia’s claims of Croatian interference in its internal affairs.

This latest dispute is expected to intensify the strained relations between Serbia and Croatia, dating back to the breakup of Yugoslavia in the 1990s. Croatia’s concern over Serbia’s close ties with Russia and its stance on the EU’s policies against Russian aggression in Ukraine reflects the ongoing disputes and the escalating arms race in the Balkans.

Source: Newsroom