Reaction to a reaction, what Joe Biden and Andrej Plenković discussed

Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković commented in Pazin on Tuesday evening on the press conference of Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vučić, in which he lashed out at Croatia for blocking one of the chapters in the negotiations with the EU, and also referred to his conversation with US Vice President Joe Biden, writes Croatian Jutarnji, reports Patria.

Plenković briefly commented on Vučić's performance:

- I haven't heard him, I was only briefly informed that Vučić, the Prime Minister of Serbia, held a press conference. So, things are very clear and transparent, Serbia is in the process of accession negotiations, there is a series of chapters, criteria that need to be met; I believe that Serbia is on its way to fulfilling them. In that context, certain chapters were opened for which Croatia gave consent today, and regarding the issues of the chapters on culture and education, Croatia has reserved its position due to certain aspects of minority education and school textbooks, said Prime Minister Plenković.

When asked by journalists to confirm whether he had spoken with US Vice President Joe Biden, which Vučić also mentioned in his address, Plenković replied that he had spoken with Biden.

- This afternoon I spoke with Vice President Biden about the broader context of the situation in Southeast Europe, the important role of Croatia as a member of NATO and the EU, which can help our neighbors on their path with its experience, and of course, I took the opportunity to thank him for the quality cooperation he had with Croatia during his eight-year term, which he also visited. We once again confirmed very good relations and our constructive role towards the countries of Southeast Europe, which are a priority for us, including the context of the European Union's enlargement. This is a process that we always keep high on the agenda, and where we will help our neighbors to meet the necessary criteria, said Plenković.

Journalists asked him if the Croatian blockade of negotiations was also discussed.

- It was discussed very generally, not about the blockade, but about what I said, about the accession negotiation process, and how Croatia can be of assistance to its neighbors in that entire context.

Reactions from foreign diplomats in Zagreb

While Serbian sources report that Biden asked Plenković for Croatia to give consent to open Chapter 26 as soon as possible, the Croatian side has not confirmed this. At the same time, the state leadership was informed of the developments, and Plenković also informed the President's Office. Biden's and Plenković's conversation attracted great attention among foreign diplomats accredited in Zagreb.

- We expected Croatia to be more cooperative now and show goodwill for opening Chapter 26. Honestly, I was surprised by this decision, which is in line with the former administration, a high-ranking diplomat from an EU member state told Jutarnji.

It is worth recalling that the US administration reacted similarly during the Slovenian blockade of Croatia, which was resolved when Washington warned Slovenian politicians that it was time to find a solution to the border dispute, writes Jutarnji.