ZAGREB, January 16, 2019 - The Prime Minister and president of the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ), Andrej Plenković, said on Tuesday that Vukovar Mayor Ivan Penava understands that the party strategic interest was cooperation with the Independent Democratic Serb Party (SDSSS) and the Serb community, underscoring that the party policy was based on the policy of the first Croatian President Franjo Tuđman and the HDZ when it was led by Tuđman.
"He understood that and he should understand it even better. And he understands it because many of our fellow citizens, members of the Serb minority have supported him at the Vukovar mayoral elections," Plenković said after a session of the HDZ caucus, asked if at today's meeting Penava understood him and the fact that cooperation with the Serb community and the SDSS was HDZ's strategic interest.
The prime minister also said that Penava understands very well what is the HDZ's state policy and what is the policy of the local branches.
Plenković reiterated that the the HDZ policy was defined by the party leadership, while mayor Penava should deal with issues pertaining to the town of Vukovar.
Vukovar mayor Ivan Penava said on Tuesday he was not leaving the ruling Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) party and that he had its support, adding that he could not be expected to renounce the values of the 1991-1995 Homeland War.
Speaking to reporters after meeting with Prime Minister Andrej Plenković, Penava said they had not discussed the position of the Independent Democratic Serb Party (SDSS) in the ruling coalition because he had not talked about that on Monday.
He explained that on Monday he had talked about the positive aspects of the peaceful reintegration of eastern Croatia, which had been occupied by Serb insurgents during the war, and that he had thanked members of the Serb minority who had embraced that process and continued building Croatia. He also drew attention to negative aspects of this process, saying that local Serb-language students had refused to stand up for the Croatian national anthem.
"It is fascinating that from all this the media have come out with the idea that I'm leaving the HDZ and that tension has emerged between me and the prime minister," Penava said.
Asked if Plenković sympathised with his actions, Penava said they had similar views because they belonged to the same party. "As the HDZ mayor of Vukovar, I ask you never to expect of me to renounce the values of the Homeland War. As for the position of the HDZ and prime minister, he had a friendly conversation with me. I continue to be a member of the party, I promote the values of the Homeland War and for now I have support for that," he told the press.
More news on the events in Vukovar can be found in the Politics section.
