Serbia Sends Croatia Protest Note Over Election Campaign
Serbia's Foreign Ministry rejects attempts at outside influence and the coverage in Croatian media, while Aleksandar Vucic says Croatia interfered most openly.
Ahead of parliamentary elections set for October 25, Belgrade has lodged a formal protest with Zagreb. Serbia’s Foreign Ministry sent Croatia a protest note on the evening of October 14, and RTS received confirmation that it was sent. The vote is 11 days away.
According to reports, the note protests what Belgrade sees as Croatian interference in Serbia’s domestic politics and election campaign.
What does the note say?
Based on parts of the document published by RTS, the ministry considers “unacceptable the attempts at outside influence on election processes, as well as certain ways in which Croatian media report on the political situation in Serbia.” The note also expresses concern over what it describes as a one-sided portrayal of Serbia’s political circumstances and its linking to regional stability.
The sources word the note’s conclusion differently. RTS writes that such conduct does not contribute to mutual trust and good-neighborly relations, while the portal 24sedam sums it up as saying that this approach damages trust between the two countries.
What did Vucic say?
President Aleksandar Vucic, speaking on B92 television, said Croatia had “most openly interfered” in Serbia’s election process. He welcomed the ministry’s decision to send the note and said the reaction should have come earlier. He added that it matters for there to be an official record of Serbia’s opposition to such influence.
What is still unknown?
The full text of the note had not been published on the ministry’s website by the morning of October 15. For that reason, the available excerpts do not show which specific actions by Croatian state bodies the note refers to, or which media outlets it has in mind.
It is confirmed that the note was sent. The claim that this amounts to interference remains the position of the Serbian side, as set out in the document and in the president’s statement, but the available sources do not back it up with examples.
Croatian public broadcaster HRT carried the news of Belgrade’s move, citing reports from Serbia. The sources available to us contain no official reaction from Croatia’s Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs.
