Serbia retaliates to Croatia: Set special control regime against Croatian officials

Serbia's Minister of Internal Affairs, Aleksandar Vulin, said that by July 17th, all Croatian officials would be placed under a separate control regime.

From today, all Croatian state officials, all owners of official or diplomatic passports will have to declare and reason separately on their visit or passage through Serbia and be placed under a separate control regime”, Volin said.

This statement came after Serbia's Prime Minister Anna Brnabiq said Serbian President Aleksandar Vuciq wanted to visit Jasenovac in private today, but that he postponed the visit “for the sake of good relations” between Serbia and Croatia.

Brnabiq during a TV Pink interview on the writing of the Croatian newspaper Jutarnji List that the Croatian government will not allow Vuciqi to visit in private Jasenovac today, said the Croatian authorities' move is “scandal in the modern history of Serbia and Croatia”.

Jasenovac was a concentration camp in the village of the same name in Croatia during World War II. This was one of the top ten concentration camps in Europe and was founded and operated by the Ustashe regime, Nazi collaborators. In World War II, tens of thousands of Serbs, Jews, Roma and anti-fascist Croats were killed in this camp, also known as Croatia's “Ausvici”.

“It is not clear to me whether he is forbidden to visit Croatia or Jasenovac, so he can go anywhere, but not to Jasenovac, which in my opinion is an extraordinary precedent”, Brnabiq said, adding that it is the brutal “movement freedom violation”.

The newspaper Jutarnji list announced that Vuciq was scheduled to visit Jasenovac and Pakracin privately, but Croatian authorities have not given him permission to visit these locations.

As reported, without official notice of Croatian authorities, without co-ordination with the embassy, Vuciq has wanted to cross the border from Bosnia and Herzegovina, either Republika Srpska and arrive at Jasenovac around 11:00 and then at Pakrac about 2: 00 p.m.

Croatia “not briefed” for Vuciki visit

Croatia's Foreign Minister, Gordan Drerlic Radman, through a news conference, clarified that Croatian authorities had understood through informal channels that Vuciq was planning to visit Jasenovac and Pacacari and said he has delivered a protest note to Serbia.

“Ua recalled that in the case of any visit by foreign officials, time, location and the visit plan must be reconciled between the two sides. Croatia has not been informed, this is unacceptable for Croatia”, he said.

If we are speaking sincerely, talks on this visit have not occurred. We consider this provocation. Vuciki's goal is to gain additional points in Serbia”, the Croatian minister added.

Serbia's president, Aleksandar Vuciq, posted a photo of the Jasenovac monument to the Instagram and wrote: “The Serbian people will live and never forget”.

Meanwhile, Brnabic said Serbia wants normalisation of relations with Croatia, but must rely on respect for Serb victims.

Serbia has later said it will make an official request to visit Croatia.

Interior Minister Aleksandar Vulin has indicated that a special regime will be implemented for Croatian officials until he is interior minister, “or until Croatia begins to behave” as is no longer the Independent State of Croatia, ruled by the Ustashes.

Many Serbian nationalists accuse the Croatian government of not facing their actions on its territory during World War II. The Croatian government, meanwhile, has accused Belgrade of using this issue for internal political reasons and not dealing with its role during the Balkan wars in 1992-95.