Media: Serbian Ambassador in Zagreb Walks Out of Another Event in Protest

Jelena Milic (BETAPHOTO/HINA/Tomislav Pavlek)

Serbian Ambassador to Croatia Jelena Milic caused an incident in Zagreb by leaving in protest a conference on national systems to protect the Croatian minority in Serbia and the Serbian minority in Croatia, the Croatian media reported on March 21.

Milic reacted to a statement by Jasna Vojnic, a representative of the Croatian minority in Serbia and a member of the Croatian Democratic Union in the Parliament of Croatia, who claimed that the Serbian government was using hate speech against the Croatian community in Serbia. According to the Index.hr portal, Milic responded from the front row, disputing the claim and arguing that Croatia had failed to face its own past, illustrating her point with a reference to a controversial singer, Marko Perkovic Thompson, and his new song "If You Don’t Know What Happened."

After the speech, Milic, to the surprise of those present, dramatically left the conference at the Home of Journalists in Zagreb, which was attended by representatives of the Serbian national minority in Croatia. In a very similar act last January, she walked out of the traditional Christmas reception organized by the Serbian National Council, dissatisfied with the host’s reaction to a letter by the recipients of the Council’s award, who thanked the Serbian youth, which met the applause of the host.

Milic said later that she perceived that as a direct reference to the student blockades in Serbia and an insult to the state and the regime that she represented in Croatia.