ZAGREB, January 26, 2020 - Zoran Milanović, who was recently elected Croatian president, is supposed to testify on Monday before Zagreb County Court in the trial dubbed travel expense scam in which Tomislav Saucha, who was Milanovic's chief of staff during his premiership, and his secretary, Sandra Zeljko, are implicated.

At the start of their trial, Saucha and Zeljko pleaded not guilty to the charges of falsifying 125 travel orders and defrauding the state budget of 960,000 kuna (130,000 euro).

Saucha is charged with falsifying travel orders in collusion with Zeljko, who the prosecution alleges continued doing so after Saucha left office.

Milanović will take a witness stand in this case due to the fact that that Saucha was his chief of staff while Milanović served as the prime minister, and due to the fact that some of the false travel orders referred to made-up travels ostensibly involving Milanović's special advisors, the Večernji List daily said on Sunday..

Some of those former advisors of Milanović already took a witness stand in this trial and one of them, historian Neven Budak, told the court in late 2019 that someone had forged his signatures on 44 travel orders.

"At the time when I was the prime minister's special advisor on science and education I travelled only once, to Sydney, when a Croatian language department was opened there. When I returned, secretary Sandra Zeljko told me that I should not write any report or calculate the costs, which I found odd because as the dean of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences I knew how travel expenses are calculated," Budak told the court on 22 November 2019.

Siniša Petrović, a former special advisor to former PM Milanović, said that during the investigation in the case he had checked his travel orders and signatures and realised that those orders referred to trips in 2015 and 2016 which he did not go on and that the signature on the orders was not his.

The Večernji List underscores the fact that Milanović is the first president-elect to testify before a court. The daily newspaper recalls that former heads of state, Stipe Mesić and Ivo Josipović, were also summoned by courts to testify in trials, however, they gave testimonies after their terms as presidents.

More news about Zoran Milanović can be found in the Politics section.

Croatian President-Elect Zoran Milanović gave his first interview to Mislav Bago of Nova TV on January 16, 2020. When asked what people should expect from him as president, Milanović indicated that he would defend the constitution, fight against thieves and do everything which he promised during his campaign. He also spoke about the murder which occurred in Split last weekend, as Slobodna Dalmacija reported. Here are some highlights from that interview.

What can people expect from you as Croatian president?

To defend the constitution, I will fight against thieves and all that I have said in the campaign. I haven’t promise miracles. I’ll do what I promised.

Croatia has recently been shocked by the triple murder (in Split), and there are those who have organized and want to take justice into their own hands.

It shocked me, as it did you, and all of us. Split thrives on the idea of safety although it's not a very safe city. But it's not the worst city in the world either. Croatia is a reasonably safe country and the degree of public security is very good. More work is required on prevention. I could understand the approach of people on Facebook at first, but now I can't.

That needs to stop, and the government has my support. Split is a very segmented and unique city. It is large by Croatian standards; the second largest. And it is a large diverse urban entity when Solin and Kaštela are included. Unlike Zagreb, Rijeka and Zadar, Split is very diverse on the political level. In some parts of Split I received 78 percent of the vote and in other city districts I got 20 percent. This city was built on muscle, big growth and rapid urbanization, which it has not been able to reconcile. It is a big sociological and security challenge.

These people have organized themselves (on Facebook) because they believe that the system is wrong, so they have decided to take matters into their own hands.

I haven’t seen them do anything, but the idea itself is bad.

The system has also been exposed by the tragedy in Andraševac, particularly as it relates to the elderly. We are a nation of elderly people, and the government has announced changes to the law, but they probably want to hear what the President thinks.

The existing Croatian law was adequate, and now the government has become the most convenient scapegoat. Something horrible occurred in Andraševac and it is awful. We are an aging nation and need to invest in the right types of care for people. The city of Zagreb does not even have 4,000 beds in public homes and an average bed is 4,000 HRK (538 EUR) a month. In private homes this amount reaches as much as 1,000 EUR. This is a serious political problem and anyone who seeks a government position in our country will have to address citizens’ needs, which are realistic and justified.

You are expected to assume the presidency on February 18, 2020; and you have said you want to have a normal inauguration, what would that look like?

First, this does not mean that the others weren’t normal. This is one action, you assume the office, and the only thing the constitution says is that you are required take the oath of office before the President of the Constitutional Court. This can be organized in a hundred different ways. That day will take place at Pantovčak, in the President's office, and I will invite those who I think should be present. That includes the current President, the Cabinet of Ministers, the Presidency of the Parliament, the President of the Supreme Court, the Chief of Staff, the people who ran my campaign and my wife.

Our diplomacy has already informed us about the inauguration. What if some of the presidents of neighboring states want to attend?

That won't be possible, and they won't want to attend. The inauguration will be organized the way I’ve described. In Slovenia, a directly elected president takes the oath of office in parliament. This is probably possible in Croatia as well, and it seems more appropriate to me.

Rumor has it that you and the Turkish president will initiate changes to the Dayton agreement?

This is impossible, this contract is like a border agreement and cannot be canceled by standard procedure. You would have to reunite all the stakeholders, which is impossible.

Putin congratulated you and invited you to celebrate May Day in Moscow. Have you decided whether you’ll go?

It's a legendary Russian parade. I think I'm going to attend, and I don't know what would happen if I didn’t go. I do not support the annexation of Crimea, but that does not mean that I won’t work on good relations with Russia.

In terms of cooperation with the currrent Croatian President, how is this transition period going?

It’s going OK; I'm pleased.

Were you surprised by the Prime Minister's statement regarding difficult cohabitation or were you expecting a different reaction?

He has had enough turmoil in his own party, which has been going on now for years, so I won’t comment.

What should we expect in this difficult cohabitation?

You can expect constructive cooperation, and not destructive behavior. When I gather people, who are worthy and who I consider to be the best, it won’t be to lock horns with the government. It is easy to be resourceful in the position of the presidency every day. My big advantage is that I know what it looks like on the other side. It’s a lot more difficult.

The Croatian air force planes could be a topic for disagreement?

I can’t challenge that because it’s a government decision.

But they will listen to your position. You have said publicly that this should be done directly with the Americans, without an invitation or tender, yet the government informed seven countries about the purchase, why do you think it is better to automatically work with the Americans?

Because we are not buying cars for the Croatian parliament like we did recently. You call a public tender, specify those cars and know in advance that Audis are being purchased. But if you call a public tender through the General Affairs Office of the Government, Parliament and Procurement Office: they’ll end up spending too much, rather than just buying cars directly, which is twice as cheap.

Let's say a one-year-old vehicle is purchased, however. And we are not buying cars, but deadly machines, which are essential for national security. If that decision has already been made, I won’t oppose it. There are a several factors to consider. The main one, apart from quality, is reliability. Therefore, the long-term reliability of our partners is important, as is the availability of training and spare parts for rebuilding the system. The safest route is to work with the Americans.

Could we survive without investing in aviation and invest in the Croatian Navy instead? We have a lot more sea to defend. I don't want to downplay the Air Force, but nowadays, Americans are killing and disabling targets with drones.

I agree with you. I am also the Commander-in-Chief now. The President of the Croatian Republic is only nominally the Commander-in-Chief in the event of a war or declaration of war. We have not declared war and didn’t even do so during the actual war in Croatia in the 1990s. This is what the government does during peacetime, and the President is always present. He is a kind of symbolic figure. I know a little about these things and dealt with this issue 20 years ago. However, this system is managed by the Government and I will be their partner, and what I am saying is that this is Croatia’s best interests. I can say this because I do not decide on allocating state funds. I do not decide on procurement and do not have any personal preferences. I do not know about present-day companies or factories. I used to know about all the fighter jet manufacturers as a kid, now I don't know anything about them.

I ask this because some people say that in the long run it will be more important for us to protect the sea, and we are not investing money in this area, and the question is when and under what conditions will we get the planes?

I have been saying this for five years or more. As Croatian Prime Minister, I left the mandate with an outstanding order for one, or four more – so a total of five Coast Guard patrol vessels, which are part of the Navy today. This is what we need as a minimum, but it is not enough. I consider the Navy a priority, so our 12 or so planes mean nothing in the global arena. It's purely a badge pride to have those and have that ability. It is expensive, but we are a country, not just NATO members, and the Navy and sea are our most precious resources besides humans.

You have said publicly that we do not belong in Afghanistan. Will you formally initiate the withdrawal of our troops when you take office?

I will constantly bring this up because it is a completely senseless mission. There is no solution for that situation, and the question is when the US will withdraw. It's often said, ‘We went in together, we will leave together,’ but it's not a real combat action to refer to warriors’ honor. It is a mission that our people cannot defend.

We entered there a year after the Americans, a year after the Taliban were defeated. We entered there on the initiative of Ivica Račan, but that does not oblige us. We can withdraw when we decide to without consulting anyone. It cannot be on the principle that several soldiers there earn a slightly higher salary. I'm glad about that, but I'm not glad when they come back wounded or die. The situation is stagnant, and I wonder why. The key question is why.

We also have soldiers in India and Pakistan. One wonders what our interest is there.

There is a much smaller number there, but we need to constantly check and review the ratio, not jump in blindly for our partners and their interests.

You said that Slovenia needs Croatia to be a strategic partner, but how can this be achieved with all the obstacles we have; like the arbitration issue, for example?

We’ll proceed patiently, as we did in the campaign. Slovenia is naturally our closest partner. Our challenges with them are nothing compared to the problems we have with other countries.

Do you think Bernardić could be Prime Minister?

He is the president of a strong political party, if the SDP achieves solid results in the upcoming elections and win more than 76 seats, they will have the mandate. And I cannot foresee what kind of prime minister he will be.

Europe has proposed a comprehensive green plan – and as a continent we would like to return to sustainable energy. Do you think that citizens are aware of what lies ahead and what we must do to save planet earth?

They are not currently aware but will become more so over time. We, as a small country and a small economy, contribute little or nothing to climate change and global warming. However, we also do not have the wealth and sometimes pretentious moral guard of Denmark or Sweden. This needs to be clear - it concerns us, it concerns our coast. If the sea level begins to rise, it affects our environment and where our people live. These are things that need to be talked about constantly. There are also several moral issues, such as how shamelessly rich countries are exploiting natural resources, and currently have the right to set the pace for those who are being exploited.

We know what to expect from your inauguration, but what will be among be your first decisions?

I will gather people whom I consider important. I do not mean an advisory team which bypasses the government and copies it. The team will be smaller, but for practical reasons. I can't gather everyone I’d like to have on board. There will be a smaller number of professional advisors, but don't consider it a savings. This is not because I am frugal, but that’s how it is coming together this point. Those I nominate will represent my priorities and those are: defense, national security, foreign policy and practically nothing else. I cannot reveal any names right now. I will certainly not have a social services advisor because appointing someone for that position would be pretentious and wrong. I'm not the government. I have no right to mentor the government if I cannot offer a solution. I will make a few of the social fields a priority including education and curricular reform…

What role will your wife play? She said she would like to promote the field she is working in.

She is primarily a university professor and works at the state institute on various projects. She will be doing what she would like to do. She'll probably be more present than when I was Prime Minister, but not much more. It is, after all, her decision.

Follow our Politics page for updates on the Croatian presidency.

ZAGREB, January 17, 2020 - Constitutional Court president Miroslav Šeparović said on Friday that the Constitutional Court would not meddle in the president-elect's decision that the inauguration would take place at the Office of the President at Pantovčak, and not in St. Mark's Square, as has been the case until now.

"The president-elect has the right to choose the location of his inauguration, and we will respect that choice. What matters to the Constitutional Court is the presidential oath," Šeparović told Hina adding that the Constitutional Court does not choose the location of the inauguration.

"The only thing that matters to the Constitutional Court is that before stepping into office the president-elect takes an oath before the president of the Constitutional Court, as the Constitution says, that is, before the Constitutional Court as regulated by the Law on the Election of the President of the Republic of Croatia. It is also important that the text of the presidential oath is in compliance with the law," Šeparović said.

The decision by President-elect Zoran Milanović for his inauguration to be held with only those absolutely necessary to be invited and for it to be in the Office of the President on Pantovčak Hill instead of a ceremony in St. Mark's Square as has always been the case, led to different reactions among parliamentarians on Friday.

Social Democratic Party (SDP) MP Joško Klisović, who is Milanović's close associate, said that the inauguration would be a moderate ceremony appropriate to the moment and act of taking on the duties of the president.

"The president wanted to send a message to Croatian citizens that he is not there for the ceremony but to do a job. Ceremony is part of his job but we will bring it to the minimum because we cannot live off it (ceremony) in Croatia," Klisović said.

"We elected a president with attitude. The president has his attitude and he communicated that to the public in yesterday's interview (with the Nova TV). His pre-election promise is already being brought to reality with his first moves," Klisović said.

Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) political secretary, Ante Sanader commented briefly saying that that is the decision of the elected president. "The people elected the president and authorised him to make his decision on that," said Sanader.

Leader of the GLAS party Anka Mrak Taritaš thinks that the inauguration in the President's Office is an excellent idea. "Throughout his campaign, President Milanović showed that he wants to be a normal, decent president and that he does not want that role to be made into a show with all the pomp," said Mrak Taritaš.

Nikola Grmoja of the MOST party said the president is elected directly by the people in an election and he should have more powers and the inauguration then should be a ceremonious act.

"If we want a president without powers, who is elected in parliament then this sort of inauguration would be appropriate, but if someone has given you that much confidence int a direct election then that should be a ceremonious act. Croatia needs to decide what sort of president it wants," Grmoja said.

Croatian Peoples' Party (HNS) whip Milorad Batinić said that modesty is a virtue however Croatia is a parliamentary country adding that he would not have anything against the inauguration being held in St. Mark's Square as it has been until now, but that in the end it made no difference where it is held.

More news about Zoran Milanović can be found in the Politics section.

ZAGREB, January 12, 2020 - A Croatian member of the European Parliament and its rapporteur on the Western Balkans, Tonino Picula, has said that Croatia's President-elect Zoran Milanović should use his term to improve relations between Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), the Sarajevo-based Dnevni Avaz daily said on Saturday.

In an interview with the daily, Picula said that relations between the two countries had always been friendly and well-meaning but that it was now time for Milanović to help start resolving outstanding issues in their relations "in a rational way".

He noted that outgoing President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović was partly responsible for the current state of relations between the two countries, which he said was not good. "With occasionally clumsy and unfair statements the outgoing president questioned Croatia's professed policy towards Bosnia and Herzegovina and the end of her term was marked by a certain lack of ideas in that regard," said Picula.

Picula stressed that regardless of its problems, Bosnia and Herzegovina remained a partner to EU institutions, which expected of it commitment to long-announced reforms which it had undertaken to implement.

"In doing so it will enjoy unreserved support, primarily from members of the European Parliament," he said, adding that responsibility rested primarily with Bosnia and Herzegovina and that he expected elected officials to responsibly perform their duties.

Picula said that it was high time the Bosnia-EU interparliamentary commission for European integration started functioning.

The commission has not met since 2015 due to the demand by Serb deputies in the national parliament that all decisions in the commission be made by consensus, which departs from the usual practice in relations with other countries.

Serb deputies have been refusing for five years to accept the proposed rules for the work of the commission.

"That is a standard document, adopted by all candidate countries, and that only shows the high level of disfunctionality and general mistrust within the existing system in Bosnia and Herzegovina," said Picula.

Bosnia and Herzegovina House of Representatives President Denis Zvizdić said in an interview with the Fena new agency on Saturday that it was high time the two countries' relations started improving, noting that that was one of the things Milanovic's voters had voted for.

He said that relations so far had not been satisfactory. "I'm speaking about (the need for) mutual respect, respect for BiH's sovereignty and integrity, about frequent and unnecessary interference in BiH's internal affairs and an unnatural, condescending attitude with regard to processes in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the region," said Zvizdić.

Zvizdić, who was BiH's prime minister in the past five years, said that his country and Croatia were historically oriented to one another and commended Croatian PM Andrej Plenković's constructive role in strengthening those relations.

He warned, however, that despite that, there were still some issues that remained to be resolved such as the construction of the Pelješac Bridge, the possible construction of a nuclear waste disposal site at Trgovska Gora (on the border with Bosnia and Herzegovina), and the status of the property of BiH companies in Croatia.

Those issues should be put on the table and discussed based on facts and international law, he said.

"I expect Zoran Milanović to restore (discussions) to the level of institutions... and his visits to Bosnia and Herzegovina to be at the institutional level and not be party or ethnically-motivated visits."

More news about relations between Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina can be found in the Politics section.

ZAGREB, January 9, 2020 - The Archbishop of Zagreb, Cardinal Josip Bozanić, on Thursday congratulated Zoran Milanović on being elected President of Croatia, stressing the importance of cooperation between Church and State in the interest of the Croatian people.

Bozanić expressed his best wishes to Milanovic in performing the duties entrusted to him, which include looking after the wellbeing of the Croatian people and all citizens of Croatia.

The Church and State are called upon to pursue cooperation and dialogue in promoting harmony, justice, peace and prosperity in the Croatian society, he added.

"This dialogue strives to strengthen mutual respect and understanding as well as to prevent or rectify any misunderstandings, always bearing in mind the same interests, those being people, especially those most vulnerable, and the common good," the archbishop said in his message.

"On the generally accepted and firm foundation of the Croatian identity, which is characterised by a rich tradition imbued with Christianity, it is possible, without fear or a feeling of being threatened, to foster freedom and the beauty of a diversity of opinions, views and creative life, and an openness to cooperation and friendship with all nations," Bozanić wrote.

More news about the Catholic Church can be found in the Politics section.

ZAGREB, January 8, 2020 - The leader of the Democratic Alliance of the Vojvodina Croats (DSHV), Tomislav Žigmanov, has said that he hopes Croatian authorities' interest in the Croat community in Serbia will continue after Zoran Milanović's election as Croatia's new president.

In a Twitter message on Wednesday, Žigmanov congratulated Milanovic on his victory, noting the election proved that Croatia "is a highly consolidated democracy."

In a subsequent statement to the Vojvodina Radio and Television (RTV) public broadcaster, Žigmanov said he hoped the cooperation between Croatian authorities and the Croat community in Serbia and the support that community had received would continue.

"We hope Croatia's new President Zoran Milanović will be interested in that, both in bilateral relations with Serbia as well as in direct communication with institutions of the Croat minority," he added, noting that Milanovic should "create a platform for cooperation and relations with Serbia in a balanced and diplomatic way."

The League of the Vojvodina Social Democrats (LSV), a party led by Nenad Čanak, welcomed Milanović's election as Croatia's new president.

"Your victory is an encouragement to all democratic and progressive forces in our region. I expect you to be a major advocate of a faster European journey for all countries in the region," Čanak said, adding that the cooperation between Croatia and Serbia had to be much better in the coming period.

More news about the status of Croats in Serbia can be found in the Diaspora section.

ZAGREB, January 8, 2020 - The appointment of the new Croatian ambassador to Serbia can serve as the first test of cooperation between the incumbent government led by Prime Minister Andrej Plenković and the newly-elected president Zoran Milanović, the Večernji List daily newspaper said on Wednesday.

Hido Biščević, a journalist and a career diplomat, has already been nominated by PM Plenković for that post and this nomination has been approved by President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović.

However, the whole procedure of Biščević's appointment as the next Croatian ambassador to Belgrade has not yet been completed. It needs to be also approved by the country-recipient and in this case, Serbia has already shown positive response and also the relevant Croatian parliamentary committee is supposed to interview the nominee.

Upon the completion of the whole procedure, the Croatian president signs the decision on ambassadorial appointments.

It remains to be seen whether the procedure will be finalised until 18 February when Grabar-Kitarović's term ends.

Besides, decisions to approve appointments of diplomats towards the end of the term of the outgoing presidents may be ethically disputable. The Večernji List said that Grabar-Kitarović would not rush decisions.

The post of the Croatian ambassador in Belgrade is currently vacant after Ambassador Gordan Bakota was sent to his new ambassadorial duty to Germany.

More news about relations between Croatia and Serbia can be found in the Politics section.

ZAGREB, January 8, 2020 - Zoran Milanović's campaign staff will continue their work as the President-Elect's Office as of Tuesday, announced Orsan Miljenić who, along with Nikola Jelić, will communicate with the public on behalf of the Office.

"We have held a meeting of the campaign staff, who now continue their work as the President-Elect's Office," said Miljenić, who was Milanović's campaign manager. He will continue to work as the president-elect's chief of staff, while Jelić, Milanović's presidential campaign spokesman, will continue as spokesman for the Office.

Miljenić said that the public will be kept informed of all of Milanovic's activities in a timely manner, and that Milanovic will resign from the Social Democratic Party (SDP) before his inauguration. According to the Constitution, the president cannot belong to any political party.

The inauguration guest list has not yet been agreed upon.

"It is still early for that, but we have started talking about the guest list. We still have a month and a half, we will be able to do everything on time. We will be cooperating with state protocol," said Miljenić.

Miljenić would not discuss possible members of Milanović's team in the President's Office.

More news about Zoran Milanović can be found in the Politics section.

ZAGREB, January 7, 2020 - President-elect Zoran Milanović said on Tuesday in his first public address after Sunday's election that he had spoken with Prime Minister Andrej Plenković and incumbent President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović as well as other officials from Croatia, Europe and the rest of the world, who congratulated him on his election as Croatia's president.

"Both (PM Plenković) and Mrs Kitarović phoned me. I spent the day yesterday responding to messages of congratulation, talking to people from Croatia, Europe and the rest of the world," Milanovic told reporters outside his home.

He also commented on PM Plenković's statement that the cohabitation between them would be hard, saying that he did not know what that meant.

"I said that we would be the best of friends, as much as that is possible in politics. I don't know what hard cohabitation means; we should look it up in the Constitution to see what it means."

He went on to say that he would support Grabar-Kitarović if she decides to continue her diplomatic career. "Yes, I will. She is not responsible for any criminal offences and she was president," he said.

Milanović said that he had spoken on the phone on Monday with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and that he had not spoken with Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić.

"It doesn't matter, everything I said was correct fact-wise, this concerns relations between states and we will do our job to the extent a president can," he explained.

As for the return of a bust of Yugoslav leader Josip Broz Tito to the president's office, which has been speculated about as one of his possible first moves, Milanović said that he had not thought about that at all.

Tito's bust was removed from the president's office by Grabar-Kitarović at the start of her term.

“Pantovčak (the president's office) is not a museum, there were four Croatian presidents before me, and as for the time before that, we could go all the way back to King Tomislav," said Milanović.

As for his future advisors, he said that he would try to have the best possible advisors, but he could not say if former Security and Intelligence Agency (SOA) chief Dragan Lozančić would be one of them.

"That needs to be seen. My opinion about him is well known. Apart from being an advisor to the deputy prime minister (Davor Božinović), he is also active as an instructor at international institutes across the region, so he has two careers. He has a very good reputation and the question is, whether being my advisor would be worth his while," said Milanović.

He said that he did not intend to move his office across the country, and that he would consult with the government before launching his future initiatives.

"I will not ambush them because I was on the other side of the fence and I know very well what it is like when someone plays dirty," he said.

Commenting on the small number of votes he won in Bosnia and Herzegovina, he said: "If I were to take that personally, I would never go there. Regardless of the votes and the money, I will do my job dauntlessly."

Milanović also said that he did not know when his inauguration would be and that his team was in charge of the inauguration procedure.

More news about Zoran Milanović can be found in the Politics section.

ZAGREB, January 6, 2020 - The US Embassy in Zagreb on Monday congratulated Zoran Milanović on winning Sunday's presidential election, saying Croatia was a US ally and friend and that it was looking forward to a continued partnership during his term.

"Croatia is a steadfast friend and ally of the United States, and we draw strength from our shared values and commitment to transatlantic security, economic cooperation, and energy diversification. We fully support Croatia’s presidency of the Council of the European Union and its commitment to Southeast Europe’s Euro-Atlantic future. We are grateful for the last five years of close and productive collaboration with President (Kolinda) Grabar-Kitarović and look forward to a continued partnership throughout President-elect Milanović’s term," the embassy said in a press release.

On Sunday night, Milanović was congratulated by European Council President Charles Michel.

"I believe that Croatia will contribute to the future development of the European Union especially during its first presidency of the Council of the EU," he posted on Twitter.

US Ambassador Robert Kohorst on Monday congratulated Croatian President-elect Zoran Milanović on his victory and would not comment on the support President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovicć received for her re-election by Julienne Bušić, saying Bušić was not worth commenting.

We are glad that Croatia had a very active campaign and, it seems to me, a fair election. I congratulate the president-elect on his victory and am looking forward to our collaboration, Kohorst told reporters ahead of a reception for Orthodox Christmas organised by the Serb National Council and the Zagreb Serb National Minority Council.

Kohorst expects to have good cooperation with Milanović because, he said, he seems to be a capable person who watches out for Croatia's best interests which, he added, also means good partnership with the United States.

He would not comment on Julienne Bušić's support to Grabar-Kitarović. Her late husband Zvonko Bušić was sentenced to life imprisonment in the US for hijacking a passenger plane and planting a bomb which killed New York police officer Brian Murray.

I don't want to comment because I think she is not a person worth commenting about, said Kohorst.

More news about relations between Croatia and the United States can be found in the Politics section.