Addressing an OSCE ministerial meeting in Dublin, Pusic said that Croatia had been cooperating with the Hague tribunal (ICTY) following the institutional procedure, and added that the acquittal of the two generals was the result of that procedure, the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs said in a statement.

"If our neighbours or anyone else has any objections to the ICTY's judgement, these cannot and should not be addressed to Croatia, but to the United Nations and the Security Council," Pusic said.

"We want good relations in the region and will continue working on them. Respect for international judicial institutions and procedures must be a contribution and not an obstacle to such cooperation," she added.

The minister said that "no country, region or society can be called democratic if its citizens cannot freely and safely realise their plans and ambitions regardless of their race, nationality, religion, political affiliation, gender or sexual orientation." She underlined the importance of empowering women, noting that Croatia strongly supported it through multilateral and bilateral forms of cooperation.

"We are concerned about negative trends in some of the member states in which violations of human rights and freedoms have been recorded," Pusic said. She concluded by saying that Croatia could testify from its own experience that the OSCE and its field mission had been of great benefit, according to the statement.