Plenković: Ceasefire in Ukraine is a key prerequisite for a normal peace process

Prime Minister Andrej Plenković said on Thursday that a ceasefire in Ukraine is "a key prerequisite for any normal, serious, reasonable and structured peace process". He reiterated the EU's position that "there can be no talks on Ukraine without Ukraine" and that the Republic of Croatia supports the initiative for US-Russian negotiations in Alaska.

Prime Minister Andrej Plenković spoke to reporters in Crikvenica, where he was marking the Day of the City. The Prime Minister first addressed the conclusions of yesterday's meeting of the leadership of the European Union, NATO and the US.

“A series of meetings were held yesterday ahead of the summit in Anchorage in order to gather the widest possible platform of countries that are against Russian aggression against Ukraine and that strongly support Ukraine. We have agreed on positions, supported the initiative for a meeting at the highest level between the US and Russia,” he said.

The initiative, the Prime Minister added, "has one single goal, and that is a ceasefire".

“This is a key prerequisite for any normal, serious, reasonable and structured peace process. There can be no talks about Ukraine without Ukraine,” he said.

"A just and lasting peace cannot be humiliation of the victim and reward for the aggressor"

Plenković stressed that no one should limit Kiev's right to decide on the direction of its foreign policy and affiliation.

“Croatia's position is to support Ukraine as our friendly country. It was among the first to recognize Croatia in 1991. We have a rich history and cooperation with the Ukrainian people. There were no words about any participation of peacekeeping troops yesterday,” he said.

Speaking about the role of the US president, he stated that his priority is to agree on a ceasefire.

“These are the first talks at that level in many years. President Trump's position is that he wants to make his contribution and put himself in the function of a ceasefire. If that happens, that is already a good step towards peace. Our position is clear, a just and lasting peace cannot be one that humiliates the victim and rewards the aggressor,” the Prime Minister concluded.

"Theses about historical revisionism are meaningless"

Plenković also commented on the public situation after Thompson's concert, stating that some media outlets perceived it as historical revisionism and promotion of the Ustasha, deeming it meaningless, but also stating that the misuse of the "For Homeland, ready" call should be sanctioned.

Journalists asked if and when the cry "For Homeland, ready" would be included in the Criminal Code, and the Prime Minister said that things are already clear under the existing law.

“I have to comment on this entire situation, which, after that concert in Zagreb and after a few situations at the stadiums, is perceived by some media outlets as some kind of historical revisionism and promotion of the Ustasha, which is completely meaningless and wrong. There is even speculation and accusations from this poor and defeated Social Democratic Party that the Croatian Democratic Union is no longer a mainstream party, that it has become an extreme right-wing party, which is so meaningless and moronic that, I must admit, it is already a little funny to read what people are capable of saying,” he said.

He said that the Croatian Democratic Union, the government and the coalition are firmly in the right-wing position, and he reiterated that there will be no censorship of a song that "has existed for 35 years, which was a wake-up call in the Homeland War and which meant a lot to the Croatian defenders at that moment".

“All these other things, abuse by a small part of the people, and then the exploitation of fan groups, requires not only a police response, but also our strong condemnation,” said Plenković.

He finds it funny and out of place that the left-wing political spectrum was "scared" by a concert attended by half a million people and that they are astonished by something that has existed for 35 years.

“There is no place in the Croatian Parliament for the "For Homeland, ready" cry, I think it should be sanctioned and I am sure that the Croatian Parliament Speaker will do the same in the future. All those politicians who try to abuse it are not doing and good for themselves, nor Croatian society, nor political culture in general,” the Prime Minister assessed.

He stated that Croatian Democratic Union has the support of the Croatian people thanks to its policies, adding that the Social Democratic Party and other left-wing actors and commentators "needed something to deal with in the last four weeks because they had no other topics."

Government has nothing to do with the indictment against the journalist

The Municipal State Attorney's Office in Split has filed an indictment against journalist Danka Derifaj for the criminal offense of violating the inviolability of the home of singer Thompson in 2021, and when asked by reporters, Plenković said that he knew nothing about it.

“This is a question that should be addressed to the Municipal State Attorney's Office in Split and the State Attorney’s Office of the Republic of Croatia, not to the Government. I call on all those who immediately decided to blame it on the Government, on us, on me personally, on the minister - to calm down a bit and calm down the tone of the general hysteria of the left-wing activist spectrum in Croatia, which pushes everything on us as if we have nothing else to do but order the Municipal State Attorney's Office how to act at the suggestion of an injured party in a case,” he said.

He said that the Government as the executive branch has nothing to do with this.

“Just as we want the media to be professional, impartial and independent, we expect the same from the judiciary,” he said.

Asked whether the situation surrounding the Brodosplit shipyard and the Italian ship Moby Drea showed holes in the system and whether the situation had become complicated, Plenković said that it had not, because all measures had been taken to establish the factual situation.

“There is no threat to the people of Split and all others who were afraid of asbestosis in the event that something went wrong in the manipulation of those panels that were to be removed. An assessment has been made that this will not be done in Croatia,” he said.

Source: HRT