PM about Tajani: I condemn the statement in the strongest terms, it has elements of territorial claims and revisionism

Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic said on Monday he had rung European Parliament President Antonio Tajani over his controversial statement about "Italian Istria and Italian Dalmatia" and told him that Croatia was extremely displeased with it and wanted an explanation.

Addressing a commemoration for WWII foibe (karst pits) victims in Basovizza near Trieste, Italy, Tajani said "Long live Trieste, long live Italian Istria, long live Italian Dalmatia," according to Slovenia's STA news agency.

Plenkovic condemned the statement in the strongest terms, saying it "has elements of territorial claims and revisionism" and that the government and his HDZ party were against it in the strongest terms. The HDZ is part of the European People's Party like Forza Italia, the party in which Tajani is a key figure.

"I spoke to Tajani today. I told him we were extremely displeased with such a statement, which is inappropriate, and we requested an explanation," Plenkovic said, adding that he expected Tajani to issue a statement on the matter today.

"The Croatian government and the HDZ will always strongly oppose any statements which could have either territorial or revisionist pretensions," Plenkovic said, adding that he had not expected such a statement from Tajani, with "whom I've had a very good relationship in every possible cooperation situation."

"We've known each other very well for six years now and there's never been even the smallest hint of such a position, nor could it have been guessed," said Plenkovic.

"I don't want to justify him at all, it's very important that you understand that. However, putting into context the event at which this happened, in Basovizza, with the heirs of the people who left Croatian territory as well as the defendants of those whose lives, unfortunately, ended in the foibe, he was addressing them. But this doesn't exculpate him in any way from formulations which in Croatia, to all political stakeholders, I believe, especially the government, me personally and the HDZ, are absolutely unacceptable, and we made it very clear to him."

Plenkovic said Tajani's statement about "Italian Istria" and "Italian Dalmatia" left no other interpretation other than one of revisionism, adding that he assumed Tajani would say in his explanation that he meant the people he was addressing, not the territory, and that he told him so.

 

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