Serbian President barred from Croatia

Croatia denied Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić a private visit to the Croatian cities of Jasenovac and Pakrac, after which Belgrade threatened to retaliate. It is reported by Jutarnji List.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić contacted Milorad Pupovac, head of Croatia's Serbian SDSS party, and told him that he was planning a private visit to Jasenovac, where there was a Nazi concentration camp during World War II. He noted that the visit was private, but that he could report it to the Croatian government and join it himself if he wished.

Pupovac announced the Serbian leader's visit to Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic, but official Zagreb denied the visit.

According to a Jutarnji List source close to the government in Zagreb, the purpose of Vučić's visit was to provoke the Croatian side on the eve of the anniversary of the military operation Storm, so that the Serbian president "could play the role of a victim" for his voters.

Storm is an operation of the Croatian army, carried out in August 1995 against the Serbian Krajina. The result of this operation was the victory of Croatia and the liquidation of the republics of Serbian Krajina and Western Bosnia.

Serbian Foreign Minister Nikola Selakovic on Sunday announced that he had handed a note of protest to the head of the Croatian embassy over the refusal to let Vucic through and announced Belgrade's retaliatory countermeasures.