Kitarović accused BiH of connections with Iran, signed cooperation with Tehran in 2016

ZAGREB, (Patria) - Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović, during an official visit to Israel, stated, among other things, that neighboring Bosnia and Herzegovina is an unstable country and that in a certain respect it has been taken over by people connected with Iran and terrorist organizations. 

That country is today under the control of militant Islam, which is dominant in determining attitudes, Grabar-Kitarović said, speaking about the problems in the region faced by Croatia, as well as the problems caused by the migrant crisis.

The Rais al-ulama of the Islamic Community in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Husein ef. Kavazović, condemned the statement of the President of the Republic of Croatia. In an interview for Radio Sarajevo, he said that the Croatian president is known for her attitudes and attempts to dehumanize Muslims. 

“She is a two-faced person, who tells one story in Muslim countries and another in Israel and other countries,” said Rais al-ulama Kavazović.

Similar messages came from Croatia. Former Croatian Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor sent an apology to Bosnia and Herzegovina after President Grabar-Kitarović's statement that Bosnia and Herzegovina is under the control of militant Islam.

The Croatian President officially visited the Islamic Republic of Iran in May 2016, which was commented on by the Office of the Croatian President as a renewal of economic ties with Iran, recalls the Patria News Agency. 

In the Presidential Palace of Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović was welcomed with the highest honors in 2016.

After the meeting of the two presidents and a bilateral meeting of Croatian and Iranian officials, the ministers of economy of the Republic of Croatia and the Islamic Republic of Iran, in the presence of the two presidents, signed an Economic Cooperation Agreement, and the presidents of the chambers of commerce of Croatia and Iran signed a Memorandum of Understanding.

Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović assessed the bilateral relations between Croatia and Iran as friendly at the time, with no open issues, and emphasized that contacts between the two countries had not faltered even during the previous period.

Croatia, as an EU member state, supports efforts to achieve strong cooperation between the EU and Iran, Grabar-Kitarović said during her last official visit to Iran, adding that Iran has a reliable friend in Croatia. Emphasizing Iran's key role in this part of the world, she said that Iran's constructive role and contribution to international security through its actions in resolving conflicts and crises in its neighborhood are of exceptional importance.