Politics

March 3, 2022 - An op-ed written by TCN contributor Stefan Karlo Rajic about Croatia's similar history to Ukraine in war. For Croats worldwide, the Ukraine crisis should be hitting close to home in many ways. Croatians in the diaspora and homeland alike can remind themselves of our national histories and wars to know how to best support Ukraine in these trying times. Both countries have had eastern neighbours that have caused us great suffering, but what is most telling are the similarities to how the wars are happening.  To begin his invasion, Putin delivered a horrifying speech. He essentially…

March the 3rd, 2022 - Croatian buses and Croatian companies are all making themselves available with either free transport for Ukrainian refugees or with food and accommodation offers when they arrive in the country. As Poslovni Dnevnik/Darko Bicak/Lucija Spiljak writes, the refugee wave of, at this moment in time, half a million people seeking refuge due to the war in Ukraine has activated all institutional mechanisms in the countries of the European Union, and companies are increasingly involved in helping refugees. Croatian buses are also busy transporting those who have fled their country. Many Croatian companies have become involved in…

March the 3rd, 2022 - With the Russians stepping up their wanton destruction in Ukraine following their unjustified invasion of that country around a week ago, what might happen to Croatian gas prices and overall supplies should the Russians press the button and simply cut it off to this country? As Novac/Jutarnji/Dora Koretic writes, despite Russia's continued attack on Ukraine, Croatian gas prices for households shouldn't rise by more than 20 percent, as was announced by the government back in mid-February after the measures were presented, but all this, of course, falls dead in the water if the Russians do…

ZAGREB, 2 March 2022 - Party groups in parliament on Wednesday unanimously condemned the Russian aggression against Ukraine, but part of them warned that Croatia's internal affairs must not be neglected because of the war in Ukraine. Russia's attack on Ukraine is not an argument against the government's fall but an argument in favour of the government's fall, the war cannot be used as a fig leaf to cover up crime, said Nino Raspudić (Bridge), recalling the problems the government has with former minister Darko Horvat and incumbent minister Josip Aladrović. PM called on to replace ministers the public no…

ZAGREB, 2 March 2022 - Sisak-Moslavina County Prefect Ivan Celjak on Wednesday presented local construction businesses and entrepreneurs with the planned dynamics of reconstruction in the  earthquake-affected areas. The programme encompasses the reconstruction of buildings in health, education, culture, road infrastructure and the like, so that all the projects can be implemented as planned. The county submitted 68 projects to the solidarity fund valued at HRK 698.5 million. They include 20 projects for healthcare, 11 for education, 9 for culture and 12 for road infrastructure projects. Several projects were highlighted such as the Sisak General Hospital, the Neuropsychiatric Hospital in Popovača, the Sisak,…

ZAGREB, 2 March 2022 - Croatia cares for stability and security in its immediate environment, promoting peace and good-neighbourly relations with the countries in southeastern Europe on their way to integration into the European Union and NATO, Prime Minister Andrej Plenković said in the Croatian Parliament on Wednesday.  "We want everyone to refrain from any incidents, any inflammatory rhetoric or anything that might destabilise the otherwise tense situation in at least three countries in our neighbourhood. We can't have two hotspots in Europe at the same time. The chaos that we now have is enough," the prime minister said in…

ZAGREB, 2 March 2022 - If Europe had had a stronger role, maybe the war in Ukraine would not have happened, President Zoran Milanović said on Wednesday, expressing support for Ukrainians who are defending themselves against the Russian invasion. "I feel terribly sorry this has happened. One cannot say anything else but express support for a successful defence," Milanović told reporters during a visit to Pakrac, where he attended an event commemorating the 31st anniversary of the start of the Homeland War in the area of that western Slavonian town. "It is practically impossible to take a big city without completely…

ZAGREB, 2 March 2022 - Agriculture Minister Marija Vučković and farmers, who held talks on the  stocks of cereals, concluded that there were sufficient amounts of wheat and that there was no need for concern in light of the Ukraine crisis, the ministry said in a press release on Wednesday. Farmers reported that there are sufficient stocks and there is no need to worry about any possible shortage of wheat. Noting that Ukraine is the fifth largest wheat exporter and the biggest exporter of seed oils, participants at the meeting agreed that due to the crisis in Ukraine the sowing season will be particularly…

ZAGREB, 2 March 2022 2022 - The Croatian Association of Visual Artists (HDLU) strongly condemns the Russian Federation's aggression against Ukraine and supports Ukraine's territorial integrity, the HDLU has said on its website. Expressing its support to the Ukrainian association of artists and cultural workers, HDLU underscored that it will not cooperate with institutions and individuals from the Russian Federation and Belarus until the aggression ends and Russian occupying forces are withdrawn from the entire internationally recognised territory of Ukraine. "HDLU will not issue its members who continue to individually cooperate with institutions and individuals from the Russian Federation and Belarus,…

ZAGREB, 1 March 2022 - The Russian Home association of the Russian national minority in Istria County said on Tuesday it was "against war and any war events." "Our business is the Russian language and nurturing Russian culture among those living outside their homeland," the association said in a press release. It has about 200 members, not just Russians, but also other nationalities from the former Soviet Union, including Ukrainians. "We feel pain because thousands of innocent people are suffering and blood is being spilt. We feel despair because it seems as though this war was started on behalf of all Russians,…