BBC Hard Talk: PM Defends Croatia’s Right Wing

Croatian Prime Minister Zoran Milanovic has defended Croatia’s right-wing political parties during a 30-minute interview on cult BBC show ‘Hard Talk’.

Speaking to Hard Talk’s presenter Stephen Sackur about Croatia’s upcoming entry into the European Union, relations with Serbia and politics, Milanovic was quick to dispel any talk of an uprising, hardcore nationalistic right-wing.

“No, they are not extremists. They do not directly incite hatred. We can see in our environment a lot worse than that. In Croatia that is not a particular problem. A lot of things they do not do good and I have objections to some of their actions, but by no means are they extreme nationalists,” said Milanovic.

His defending of the right-wing parties in Croatia drew praise from Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) leader Tomislav Karamarko. “Croatia has no extreme right-wing and the Prime Minister done well in what he said. That question was absurd, especially if it was alluding to HDZ because it is a right-peoples party, like dozens of parties in Europe. Finally we heard something good from Milanovic,” said Karamarko.