Grabar-Kitarović predicts even a new conflict in our country: BiH is a threat to Croatia

Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović said in an interview for Defense News magazine that the instability of Bosnia and Herzegovina is the biggest security threat to Croatia in the neighborhood, reports Patria.

When asked by journalists what the biggest security threat to Croatia in the immediate neighborhood is, the president replied that it is "the instability of Bosnia and Herzegovina, which as a country is not yet fully politically emancipated".

"Then, we also see centrifugal forces there. One of the entities, Republika Srpska, recently held a referendum on 'National Day', but we see it as a potential first step towards a series of referendums or even towards the independence of RS. If they decide on that step, there will be a reaction from the Federation of BiH and then we are potentially looking at a new conflict," said Grabar-Kitarović.

"And since Russia is quite involved in hybrid warfare, and there are strong ties between (RS President Milorad) Dodik and Russia, we would then have Russian influence through weapons, tactics, intelligence warfare through information and disinformation...", stated the Croatian president.

Grabar-Kitarović believes that there are other threats to BiH.

"Some other countries are interfering in BiH, not only politically but also in their way of life. The Islam we knew in BiH is changing, becoming more radical, especially in rural areas, the way of life is changing, even people's appearance in terms of clothing and behavior, and a much more rigid interpretation of Islamic values," said Grabar-Kitarović.

She emphasized that it is therefore crucial to maintain the stability of the Islamic Community in BiH, as well as in Croatia.

"In Croatia, we have a small but very active, excellent Islamic Community that is doing its best to manage processes in the region and isolate radicals, fundamentalists, in order to preserve inter-ethnic and inter-religious communication and the full integration of the Islamic community, not assimilation, but integration into ordinary Croatian society," stated Grabar-Kitarović.