The expulsion of a Croatian diplomat from Serbia is causing new tensions between the neighboring countries. According to media reports, the chief secretary of the Croatian embassy in Belgrade was declared persona non grata for espionage. The Croatian countermeasure came immediately.
The Serbian Foreign Ministry declared the Croatian diplomat persona non grata on Monday. It was said from Belgrade that he had “well exceeded diplomatic norms.” No further details have been officially announced.
Espionage report
Meanwhile, the pro-government Serbian tabloid Večernje novosti reported that it was “a case of documented espionage and recruitment into the Croatian service.”
Croatia, in turn, has expelled an advisor to the Serbian ambassador stationed in Zagreb. “We anticipated an escalation in relations, but did not expect such a drastic step. This has never been the case before, especially when Croatia wants to improve relations with all its neighbors,” stressed Croatian Foreign Minister Gordan Grlić Radman. He placed Serbia’s actions in the context of the country’s parliamentary elections and called the expulsion of the Croatian diplomat “worrying.”
Croatia: “Reasons for deportation were not explained”
Croatia rejects the basis for expelling its diplomat from Serbia, its foreign minister said. As he emphasized, Zagreb does not know the real reasons for the Serbian decision. “The reasons were not explained to the Croatian ambassador, it was said that there was no need to give a reason,” said Grlić Radman, according to the news portal “Index”.
Regarding the report on suspected espionage, the minister said that it was not the media, but the Serbian Foreign Ministry that had expelled the diplomat. “You have not given the reasons, that is relevant to us,” Grlić Radman emphasized.
Source: Krone
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