Croatia is preparing to take political steps toward Serbia following the state and military honors given to convicted war criminal Ratko Mladic at his funeral in Belgrade. Croatian Defense Minister Ivan Anusic said on Wednesday that the way Serbia handled the funeral sends a clear message about the direction of its current politics. He said the European Commission, European governments and the wider international community now have a role to play, while Croatia will also decide how it wants to respond.
Mladic, who was convicted of genocide in Srebrenica and other war crimes committed during the conflicts in Bosnia and Herzegovina, was buried Monday at Belgrade’s Topcider Cemetery. The funeral included a church ceremony and military honors, while Serbian government ministers and senior political figures from Republika Srpska were among those present in the funeral procession. Anusic said the ceremony allowed the international community to see what he described as the direction of Serbian politics and argued that honoring Mladic was particularly serious because of the crimes for which he was convicted.
Despite his strong criticism, Anusic did not reveal what specific measures Croatia could take against Serbia. He stressed that Zagreb should not make decisions in haste and should instead carefully consider which response would be the most effective. He also said that any major decision would require coordination between the Croatian government, parliament and president. The issue comes as Serbia continues its path toward European Union membership, making Croatia’s position potentially important because of its role as an EU member.
Anusic also linked Serbia and Republika Srpska in his assessment of the political situation, saying he sees a shared political narrative surrounding Mladic and the legacy of the 1990s. He argued that Croatia and its international partners should act preventively rather than wait for new problems to emerge before responding. For now, however, the exact political steps Croatia may take remain unclear, with Anusic emphasizing that the government wants to make a carefully considered decision rather than an immediate reaction.
