President Milanović in Berlin: Our Interest Is Peace and Stability in South East Europe
The President of the Republic of Croatia Zoran Milanović is on a two-day Official visit to the Federal Republic of Germany on the invitation of the President of the Federal Republic of Germany Frank-Walter Steinmeier. The two Presidents began their meeting with an official welcome ceremony of President Milanović. It was followed by a tête-à-tête between the two Presidents and a bilateral meeting between the delegations of the Republic of Croatia and the Federal Republic of Germany. The Croatian President said that it is a special occasion for him to be in Berlin.
“I am pleased to have come to Germany after Austria on an Official visit. The coronavirus is an inevitable topic; Germany is a role model in this case as in many others. It is not easy to talk about similarities between a country that has a population of 82 million like Germany and Croatia that has a population of four million. In its economic life Croatia relies on tourism, which has resulted in a somewhat larger number of coronavirus cases, but I am confident that the situation will begin to ease and that those counties that are on Germany’s red list, will automatically be removed from that list”, President Milanović said in his statement to the media.
He referred to Croatia’s membership in the European Union noting that Croatia’s accession took place after a period of an “overdosed” and complex history, which no other new member had. “We are in favour of a unique and strong European Union, it operates well. The German and French leaderships are sine qua non because without them there would be no European Union, the others are welcome additions, but they are the foundation. Germany has very responsible and rational politics towards Croatia and the others, they have always been predictable, and in politics that means reliable. That does not condition a blind obedience, but a level of loyalty and awareness of the fact that we all benefit from the European Union and that only through cooperation and awareness we can jointly represent a factor in the whole world, we can continue”, the President remarked.
He added that the European Union is becoming an eyesore for major power centres outside Europe. “These States are not enemies, they can be partners and friends, but for some, the world without a strong European Union would look better and more appropriate to them. Our foreign policy is making headway, that is the pro-European policy of cooperation, reason, tolerance, everything President Steinmeier has stated and for what he has expressed support”, the President noted, adding that he is committed and will further work to develop good relations with everyone in the region.
In his statement to the media the President of the Federal Republic of Germany Frank-Walter Steinmeier has said that he discussed with President Milanović current issues related to the pandemic and its consequences. He underlined that the number of coronavirus cases is increasing once again, which brings to light the fact that the threat is not gone, and by implementing targeted, local measures the virus can be contained. “Within the Union there are disparities. To strengthen the internal community spirit must be one of the top priorities. Croatia’s presidency in difficult circumstances has done a good job, now it is our turn. We have discussed the good relations between Croatia and Germany; we are bound by hundreds of thousands of Croatian citizens who live in Germany. The issue here is how societies can face a difficult past and develop a better future because of it”, the German President stated. Noting that President Milanović has made great strides in reconciliation with the Serbs in Croatia, President Steinmeier expressed hope that the path Croatia has taken is a valuable contribution, which will inspire others.
In replying to the press on the migrant crisis, the Croatian President said: “I have learned that the Croatian Government has decided to accept a certain number of migrants, I support this, and I would do the same if I were in the same situation”. He recalled the period in 2015 when a number of countries did not allow migrants to transit through their countries and said that he remembers those years with a certain amount of shame. “I hope that it will never happen again. Hungary will certainly not join this initiative as long as Orban is there; they built a barbed wired fence towards Croatia even though no one had the intention to stay in Hungary. At that time Orban played the role of protector of Christianity although the State did not request it. That will not change. Austrian policy has changed somewhat, but now it is easier. Presently, there is no real threat, the issue is how they would act if the situation were to be like in 2015”, President Milanović said, and added that Croatia acts in one way, and it is up to others to choose how to act.
In replying to how a joint migrant policy should look, President Milanović said: “It is not realistic to expect that a joint European policy will ever be present in the case of migrants. The European Union has not foreseen this and when the major crisis occurred in 2015, it was a about a show of solidarity among us because some countries were more exposed – namely Germany, Sweden, Spain and Italy”, he said, adding that within the European Union there was no solidarity, and some displayed narrow-mindedness.
“Today the issue is human solidarity with migrants who are in a burned down camp in Greece. There is no longer a large migrant wave entering Europe and there will not be any because physical barriers have been built and it is impossible for those people to reach North Macedonia, yet alone Croatia or Germany”, President Milanović remarked. He underlined that there are no actual rights to come to the European Union from somewhere. “It did not exist in 2015 either, but this right was tolerated on human grounds while others were building barbed wired fences. That was a policy I could have personally accepted, and I could simply have built a barbed wire fence around Croatia in a matter of weeks. But there is something called the culture of the heart, which is not for sale. Europe will not experience such a migrant wave because it has physically protected itself and the right of one million people to enter the European Union does not exist”, President Milanović replied.
“I hope we agree that the European path must be the real prospect of all States in the region, the Western Balkans and that there is no alternative, this is the joint view. This does not necessarily relate to NATO, because presently it is not realistic for States, which are not members of the European Union. Our interest is peace and stability in South East Europe”, President Milanović told reporters when asked about the state of affairs in South East Europe and about the message he extended to the German President about the state of affairs in Croatia’s neighbourhood.
In the continuation of the day the President of the Republic of Croatia met with the President of the German Federal Bundestag Dr. Wolfgang Schäuble.
PHOTO: Office of the President of the Republic of Croatia / Krešimir Naglić