ZAGREB, November 11, 2018 - President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović said on Saturday that the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs should send someone to Marrakesh to attend an intergovernmental conference on adopting the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration, adding that this was not the first time that she couldn't respond to an invitation and that she had cancelled her attendance at events for a variety of reasons before.
"I have estimated that in the circumstances that have emerged in the meantime and because of the theme of the conference itself, it would be better if someone else attended the migration conference, someone from departments that are directly involved in this matter, possibly the Ministry of the Interior or the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, which was in charge of the process of negotiation of this convention. Prime Minister Plenković has said that the government will discuss this and decide accordingly," Grabar-Kitarović told reporters in Paris, where she had arrived to attend a ceremony marking the centenary of the end of the First World War.
This week disputes emerged between the president and the government, notably the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, over the president's decision to cancel her attendance at the Marrakesh migration conference. The president had confirmed her attendance to the UN secretary general in August.
Grabar-Kitarović said in Paris that the cancellation of the trip was not the first or last time that she would refuse an invitation for some reason and that during her term in office she had cancelled her attendance at many events for a variety of reasons. "My assessment at this point is that it is better for someone from the relevant department to attend, and I should emphasise once again that this migration convention is not signed and is not binding. Any country can choose that part that suits its organisation. I don't want it in any way to be a matter of dispute either in Croatian society or in international relations," the president said.
She noted that she had made the decision on her own and that she had considered it since August. "As you could see, I publicly spoke about it in New York because I had reservations already then and I suggested to my advisers then that in their statements they should indicate that my opinion is that we should attend at department level, but the government will decide on that," Grabar-Kitarović said.
The main ceremony commemorating the end of the Great War will be held on Sunday and will be attended by many heads of state or government, including French President Emmanuel Macron as the host, US and Russian Presidents Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan.
"Unfortunately, Croats also fought in the First World War, defending the Austro-Hungarian monarchy which they didn't like. A lot of people were killed, and for us the end of the war is an event that should be celebrated. However, economic and political circumstances in Croatia didn't improve much after the end of the First World War, and the Second World War followed. Obviously, issues had not been resolved at international level," Grabar-Kitarović said.
The ceremony in Paris is symbolic and will unite a large part of the world in paying tribute to the war dead. It will also have a concrete dimension, primarily at the Peace Forum which has been launched by President Macron. A lot of resources and energy have been invested and it could result in good projects because people from around the world have been invited, Grabar-Kitarović said.
Also attending the ceremony will be representatives of international and non-governmental organisations, corporations, trade unions and religious groups. Introductory remarks will be made by Chancellor Merkel together with President Macron and UN Secretary General Antonio Gutteres.
Grabar-Kitarović began her visit to Paris by visiting Croatian photographer Davor Rostuhar's exhibition at the Louvre, entitled "Croatia, Full of Colours".
For more on the migrant crisis as it relates to Croatia, click here.
ZAGREB, November 10, 2018 - Human rights ombudswoman Lora Vidović said on Saturday the authorities must do much more to prosecute those spreading fake news about migrants and to create a feeling of security by giving citizens true and objective information.
"Fake news about violence committed by migrants and their conflicts with the local population show how important it is to communicate with citizens in a timely manner. I believe the authorities have missed many opportunities there," Vidović said on Croatian Radio.
She said the security of citizens was very important and wondered in whose interest it was "to spread fear in the media without any arguments, in which some politicians are participating too." "The information in question can often be checked and once one checks it, one can see that it's not true," she added.
Speaking of the Global Compact for Migration, Vidović said the document was about migrants and not refugees, that it was not legally binding or signed, and that it gave countries political commitments.
"In terms of human rights, it is a very good and welcome document... which answers many questions and can help a lot in protecting migrants' rights, while at the same time not encroaching on any country's sovereignty. It recognises and confirms the countries' right to regulate this matter themselves, even what is called irregular migration," Vidović said, adding that she was glad the Croatian government supported the Global Compact.
She reiterated that security was very important but that it was imperative to manage migration by respecting the human rights of all migrants.
She also reiterated that there was no effective investigation of migrants' complaints about police brutality and that it was worrisome that the Interior Ministry was nor giving concrete answers. "The answers we have received from the ministry aren't convincing and we haven't been told what exactly happened to a specific person in a specific place at a specific time. The ministry only replies that it respects human rights and that police are trained, but there's been no concrete answer."
For more on human rights in Croatia, click here.
ZAGREB, November 9, 2018 - The Foreign and European Affairs Ministry will prepare a report on the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration, which has recently caused many disputes among politicians, and the report will be discussed by the government next week after which it will be forwarded to parliament, Prime Minister Andrej Plenković said on Friday.
The Global Compact aims to boost cooperation to address the world's growing number of migrants. "The Foreign and European Affairs Ministry, which has been coordinating the process of drawing up the report, will submit the report to the government next week, in order to shed light on the topic and explain what exactly this is about," Plenković said at the start of the government session on Friday.
"After that, we will forward the document to parliament. I believe this topic deserves to be discussed by at least two parliamentary committees so that MPs could also know what this is about," Plenković said, adding that it was critical for everything surrounding the U.N. migration pact to be transparent.
The document, which is to be endorsed in Marrakesh, Morocco next month, has recently stirred up a conflict between President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović, who first announced she would support it but then backed out, and the Foreign and European Affairs Ministry which sees nothing contentious in the document.
Plenković reiterated on Friday that the Global Compact was not an international treaty nor it was legally binding. "This is a catalogue of measures which is being worked on over the past two years, ever since the way was paved for it at the UN General Assembly," Plenković said.
"The document has been in its present form since July and it is expected to be politically endorsed in Morocco in mid-December," Plenković said. He, however, did not say who would represent Croatia in Marrakesh after the president backed out of the trip.
For more on Croatia’s migration policies, click here.
Two alleged migrants which an elderly lady “caught” in a Samobor store recently were actually employees of the Rimac Automobili company, where they worked with a residence and a work permit. Samobor Mayor Krešo Beljak denied the fake news being spread on the social networks that the Samobor region is besieged by migrant groups, reports Jutarnji List on November 8, 2018.
The fear of unknown and increasingly unwanted migrants from the east has turned into a hysteria in the last several days. Everything started with migrant protests and the blockade of the Maljevac border crossing. Although more than 6,000 migrants have passed through Croatia to Slovenia in recent months, the only criminal offenses they committed in the Karlovac area are breaking and entry into abandoned houses in search of a shelter (with the exception of one attempted attack on a policeman). However, on social networks, Croatian women are warned not to wear short shirts because they will allegedly be raped and their partners slaughtered.
One woman reported the news that near the Plitvice Lakes National Park six migrants raped a 13-year-old girl, which was allegedly told her by a waitress in Slunj. However, the news is completely false.
There are also no serious criminal offenses in the Una-Sana Canton in neighbouring Bosnia and Herzegovina where the largest Balkan migrant hot spot is located. The vast majority of the 300 criminal offenses which were committed by migrants there refer to property crimes. There were one murder and one rape, but both of these terrible offenses were committed by the same man, an Algerian, and in both cases, the victims were other migrants.
With the blockade of the border in the Karlovac region, migrants are turning to the south in an attempt to reach Slovenia, seeking a softer border to enter Croatia. This is why a new route is being created through Croatia, going from Lika and to Gorski Kotar.
Local media reported that two migrants have entered the centre of Gospić and also published statements by anxious citizens of Lika. In the village of Kosa, a report allegedly found a person who has discovered 12 migrants, “but has refused to speak on the record due to the fear.”
The police are trying to calm down the tensions by issuing statements, but they have no effect. The locals have a hard time realising that the two Afghans whom they saw walking in Gospić entered Croatia legally and stayed in a local hotel for several days because they came to visit their cousin, a migrant smuggler, who was arrested and is now in prison.
Tomislav J. from Otočac almost ended up as the main story in the national news when he wanted to describe how a group of migrants had beaten him, but it turned out that he was drunk and came up with the story to explain to his employer why he was late for work. The police have said that they have reported him for “spreading fake news which disturbs the peace of citizens.” This is the first such report resulting from the migrant crisis hysteria.
According to the information of the Lika police, they have registered 228 illegal migrants and arrested some 30 smugglers. There has been no increase in the number of thefts. In fact, this year there has been only 333 thefts committed, which is 146 fewer than in the same period last year. There is just one case linked to migrants; an Algerian stole a bicycle in Korenica.
However, the fake news continues.
For more on the migrant crisis, click here.
Translated from Jutarnji List (reported by Mario Pušić).
ZAGREB, November 7, 2018 - Varaždin police on Wednesday said in a press release that border police had noticed damage to the fence around the cemetery in Cvetlin and that the search was on for unidentified perpetrators. The police issued the press release in response to an earlier statement by the local municipality, which assumed that migrants were involved, and said that there had not been any significant increase in the number of illegal crossing of the border in that area.
The police said that an on-site investigation disclosed that unidentified perpetrators had cut the wire fence around the cemetery, bending it toward the ground, and that the damage is estimated at a hundred kuna and that police were looking for the perpetrators.
"We also note that the police have not recorded any theft or break-in that would indicated that the perpetrators are illegal migrants," the press release said. "The Varaždin police administration has not recorded any increased number of illegal crossings of the state border in the Cvetlin and Jamno area. However, the border police are acting in accordance with their own assessment of risk and covering the area along the state border and at all access routes," the press release said, adding that in the past two months, 10 people were identified as attempting to illegally cross the border and that they had been dealt with in accordance with the law.
The local municipality reported earlier in the day that the cemetery fence had been damaged and that local residents assumed that this was done by migrants attempting to cross the border into Slovenia. Even though residents are aware that the route toward Slovenia passes through Cvetlin and Jamno, no one has anything against migrants, but residents are concerned with the security aspect, the municipality's press release said.
For more on the migrant crisis as it affects Croatia, read here.
ZAGREB, November 6, 2018 - Foreign and European Affairs Minister Marija Pejčinović Burić said on Tuesday that she still could not see what President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović found disputable in the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration and expressed regret at the nervous reactions from the Office of the Croatian President to this document.
Minister Pejčinović Burić, who was attending an international conference on building democratic security at the Mediterranean in Dubrovnik, responded to the criticism which President Grabar-Kitarović voiced against the foreign ministry accusing it of failing to do its part of the job concerning the Marrakesh document. "The Foreign and European Affairs Ministry has done its part of the job well. I, as the person at the helm of the ministry and somebody who has an insight in it, can say that the job in the negotiations has been well done," the minister said today.
The Global Compact is actually not a treaty and is not meant to be signed, it is not a legally binding document and enables each country to regulate the issue of regular migrants the way it sees fit, removing all insinuations that something could be imposed on Croatia, the minister reiterated.
"This is the first document since the establishment of the United Nations that is intended to regulate the important matter of migrations and regular migrations. It offers a catalogue of measures and best practices that can be applied and facilitates the efforts of countries to handle regular migrations," the minister said.
The point is that the document can enhance the communication and cooperation among countries so as to lessen migratory pressures. After the finalisation of the Global Compact document, Croatia can choose what corresponds to its national interests, the minister added.
She said that Croatia had been already implementing some of the measures from that catalogue and that it would like also to contribute to the establishment a better system to address the issue at the global level. "We are persistent in our position when it comes to this issue," the minister underscored, adding that countries that have scrapped the document, have done that for their specific reasons.
On Monday, the President said the foreign ministry that coordinated the negotiations, failed to do its job. "Instead of releasing my correspondence to the media, they had an obligation to inform the public what this is about. They did not do their job," Grabar-Kitarović said.
Although at first she, in her own words, had "enthusiastically" accepted the invitation of the UN Secretary General to take part in a Marrakesh conference on the adoption of the Global Compact in December, her position now is ambivalent. Grabar Kitarović said: "I neither support nor don't support the document."
During the Dubrovnik conference, Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković also commented on this topic saying that the disputes in the Croatian politics regarding this topic were not the first conflict of this kind. He said that he wondered who was generating those disputes. "First we had conflicts over the Istanbul Convention, that over the Vukovar rally, and now Marrakesh document, and all those matters are not meant to cause disputes," he said, warning that the topics on which social consensus should be made, seem to trigger off discussions from the ideological points of view.
Somebody is intentionally sparking off such conflicts and is trying to provoke disputes between the president and the government, said Jandroković.
Grabar-Kitarović's participation in the Marrakesh conference has caused a new disagreement between her office and the government after a controversial TV host published on his Facebook wall an alleged reply from the Office of the President saying that she would not sign the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration in Marrakesh and that her office was not involved in talks on the document.
Prime Minister Andrej Plenković said this past Friday that the Global Compact regulated only legal migration and that he had been informed that President Grabar-Kitarović would go to Morocco in December for the ratification. He would not comment on media reports that the president would not go to Morocco, saying that, as far as he knew, she planned to attend the Global Compact ratification conference in Marrakesh because she was invited by the UN secretary-general.
Foreign Minister Pejčinović Burić told a news conference last Friday that she was surprised by announcements that Grabar-Kitarović would not attend the conference, and on that occasion cited Grabar-Kitarović's speech in the UN in which she expressed clear support for the Global Compact.
That prompted the Office of the President to say the president supported the completion of talks on the Marrakesh agreement but that she would not attend the ratification conference and that she had informed the Foreign and European Affairs Ministry of her decision.
To read more about the controversy, click here.
ZAGREB, November 5, 2018 - The Croatian People's Party (HNS), a junior partner in the ruling coalition government, said on Monday that it was unacceptable that President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović "is justifying and currying favour with hate-mongers and the notorious far-right," instead of co-creating the country's foreign policy with the government.
Co-creation of the country's foreign policy is in the president's job description rather than self-promotion and similar activities, the HNS said in a statement.
The party believes that it would be appropriate for the president to explain her decision not to travel to an international conference on migrations in the Moroccan city of Marrakesh to both the government and the public.
Acts such as the president's harm Croatia's reputation in the international community and the United Nations and we believe it is important that the president tells the public clearly why she has entirely changed her position and why she relayed her decision to hate-mongers instead of the government and the Croatian public, notably in light of the fact that she initially told the UN secretary-general that she would attend the conference in question, the HNS says in the statement.
Acts such as the president's additionally blur the public perception of migrants that is currently based primarily on disinformation disseminated by populists and radicals who portray them as a danger to the EU, the party said.
Responsible politicians have the task to find a way, with clear ideas and policies, to integrate migrants in European society, the HNS says. The purpose is to enable migrants to prosper, and open and tolerant societies can equally benefit from their competencies, skills and positive ambitions. That goal will not be possible to achieve by currying favour with hate-mongers and radicals, the HNS said in its statement.
For more on the activities of Croatian President kolinda Grabar-Kitarović, click here.
ZAGREB, November 5, 2018 - On Monday, the Jutarnji List daily published a letter which President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović sent UN Secretary-General Antonio Gutteres in August this year, in which she says, among other things, that she is very much pleased to be able to participate in the adoption of a document on migration in Marrakesh, Morocco.
"I am exceptionally pleased to be able to participate in the adoption of this important document which constitutes materialisation of the agreement from the New York Declaration for Refugees and Migrants, as well as a response by the international community to the biggest movement of people in the history of the world," reads the letter which, according to Jutarnji List, the president sent the UN secretary-general on August 16.
Grabar-Kitarović's participation in the Marrakesh conference has caused a new disagreement between the Office of the President and the government after a controversial TV host published on his Facebook wall an alleged reply from the Office of the President saying that she would not sign the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration in Marrakesh and that her office was not involved in talks on the Declaration.
Prime Minister Andrej Plenković said this past Friday that the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration regulated only legal migration and that he had been informed that President Grabar-Kitarović would go to Morocco in December for the ratification of the document. He would not comment on media reports that the president would not go to Morocco, saying that, as far as he knew, she planned to attend the Global Compact ratification conference in Marrakesh because she was invited by the UN secretary-general.
Foreign Minister Marija Pejčinović Burić told a news conference on Friday that she was surprised by announcements that Grabar-Kitarović would not attend the conference, and on that occasion cited Grabar-Kitarović's speech in the UN in which she expressed clear support for the Global Compact.
The Office of the President said on Friday that the president supported the completion of talks on the Marrakesh agreement but that she would not attend the ratification conference in Marrakesh and that she had informed the Foreign and European Affairs Ministry of her decision.
On Monday, President Grabar-Kitarović said that "I neither support nor don't support" the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration, and severely criticised the Foreign and European Affairs Ministry over its failure to inform the public about the Marrakesh declaration on regular migrations which is now the issue that is causing disputes in the public.
Asked by the press about the document, she said "I neither support nor don't support it." The president is sure that a global response to migrations is necessary but that "it must not be a disputable issue among countries." "More and more countries give up on the agreement on a daily basis for various reasons. I am not led by the interests of the United States or Austria but by the interests of Croatia," she said.
She insists that putting the Marrakesh declaration on the front burner is an attempt to distract the public attention from Croatia's burning issues.
To read more about the migrant crisis as it affects Croatia, click here.
ZAGREB, November 4, 2018 - The MOST party's political secretary and lawmaker Nikola Grmoja, and a member of the party's main committee Nizar Shoukry, a Croatian citizen of Syrian descent, said on Saturday at a news conference dedicated to migrations that Croatia was a humane country but that it was also supposed to defend its borders from the flow of migrants.
"For us, two things are essential, to protect our state borders and to keep Croatian citizens safe," said Shoukry, a doctor who has been living in Croatia for 35 years and who has been decorated for his humanitarian work during the migrant crisis in 2015.
Shoukry, a vice-chairman of the Vukovar-Srijem County Assembly, said that he was in contact with migrants on a daily basis and praised the Croatian police for how they handle the situation along the borders. The police are doing a great job and prevent illegal crossings of migrants from Serbia, he said, underscoring that "while the migrants sleep in the open, police officers stand in the open."
"Migrants are given hot meals, whereas the police are given bread and pate, and that has been going on for three years."
Shoukry said that Croatia was in an unenviable position. "Being a Croat who also knows the mentality of those from the East, I propose that we immediately start working on fortification barriers, first along the southern border and then on the east," the MOST official said.
He said that the southern border should be safeguarded so as to create conditions for the next tourist season, explaining that tourists won't come to Croatia if they hear that migrants are entering the country without control.
He also criticised the foreign ministry for not having a firm stance towards Germany and the European Union, which he said had caused havoc and now they should find a solution for "all those unfortunate people who have passed thousands and thousands of kilometres in pursuit of peace and security."
Grmoja criticised both the foreign ministry and President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović over their attitude of the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration. He said that the MOST party would like to know why the president changed her mind and decided not to go to Marrakesh for a conference on that document.
He also criticised Foreign Minister Marija Pejčinovic Burić for claiming that the Global Compact was not meant to be signed but that she kept silent about the information that the document should be adopted.
For more on migrant crisis in Croatia, read here.
ZAGREB, November 3, 2018 - President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović welcomes the completion of negotiations on the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration but has decided not to go to Marrakesh for its endorsement, of which the Croatian Foreign Ministry has been informed, her office said on Friday.
Addressing the UN General Assembly recently, the president welcomed the successful completion of the negotiations and announced that she would attend the conference in Marrakesh in December, but in the meantime she decided not to attend, officially notifying the Foreign Ministry, the president's office said in a press release.
According to unofficial information, the president's office was therefore taken aback by Foreign Minister Marija Pejčinović Burić's statement at an extraordinary press conference earlier today that she was surprised the president would not go to Marrakesh.
The Global Compact will not be officially signed in Morocco next month but receive political support from heads of state and government. The president's office did not say why she decided not to attend the conference.
It reiterated that the president saw the migration problem as a long standing issue requiring a common approach to the very source of migration. "The president advocates the continuation of dealing with the root causes, while looking for sustainable and lasting solutions to conflicts and crises," her office said.
The issue of the Global Compact and the conference in Marrakesh has been in the focus of media attention in the last few days, as rightwing part of the political spectrum has launched a pressure campaign on the president and the government to join several other countries which have decided not to sign the document. The allegations that the Compact would force Croatia take in many thousands of migrant have been strongly denied by the Foreign Ministry.
For more on the migrantion crisis and the Global Compact controversy, click here.