Croatian President Ivo Josipovic said on Thursday that he would attend the inauguration of newly-elected Serbian President Tomislav Nikolic only if he accepted the idea of the joint project of Europeanisation of the region and explicitly renounced the ideas of the Chetnik ideology and Serbian territorial expansionism.
"I have not received the invitation to the inauguration. I have clearly emphasised the gist of the problem several times. The gist of the problem is that everyone who wishes to participate in the joint project of Europeanisation of the region, who wishes to have friends and partners in Europe, must once and for all abandon the ideas of the Chetnik ideology and expansionism, the ideas that the territory and the borders are not defined. Everyone has a chance to do that, including Mr Nikolic, and when it is clear that he has accepted such a concept we will all cooperate very gladly," Josipovic said during his two-day visit to Brussels.
When pressed by reporters whether he would still go to Belgrade if he received the invitation, Josipovic said that "from what I have said it is very clear what this is about" and that unless Nikolic clearly stated his position on the above matters he would not attend his inauguration.
When asked for a comment on a Gay Pride parade which was due to take place in the coastal city of Split on 9 June, Josipovic said that the parade would be held and that there was no question about it, stressing that no one had the right to prevent citizens from holding a peaceful rally and expressing their views.
