Croatian President Zoran Milanović has cancelled the Brdo-Brioni Process meeting, which was due to take place in May, stating that the conditions for Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić’s visit to Croatia are currently not in place.
“The political statements and actions of the President of Serbia that we have witnessed in recent days and weeks are in complete contradiction with the objectives of the Brdo–Brioni Process, undermine interstate relations, and threaten peace and stability in Southeast Europe,” Milanović said in a written statement on 30 March.
Vučić responded that the Croatian president did not need to cancel the meeting because of him, but could instead have invited “his friends from Pristina and Tirana”.
“He is absolutely right – I have no place there,” Vučić said, adding that no one from Croatia would dictate what he should say, according to the Tanjug news agency.
The Brdo–Brioni Process is a regional political initiative that brings together leaders of Western Balkan countries. It was launched in 2013 with the aim of fostering cooperation and accelerating the region’s European integration.
What did Vučić say?
Following local elections in Serbia on 29 March, Vučić stated that he would “review reports from security agencies on possible foreign influence on the electoral process”, citing “logistical support from a neighbouring country”.
“They attacked us from the region today as well. You could see what they were doing from Zagreb and the extent of their efforts. In Kula (a municipality in northern Serbia), there were more Zagreb licence plates than those from nearby municipalities. And I am not referring only to transport logistics, but above all to media support,” Vučić said.
After anti-government protests broke out following the deaths of 16 people in Novi Sad in late 2024, the Serbian authorities repeatedly accused Croatian intelligence services of organising the demonstrations – claims that officials in Zagreb strongly denied.
Milanović’s office stated that Croatia and Slovenia, as members of the European Union, initiated the Brdo-Brioni Process with the goal of improving mutual cooperation and speeding up the European integration of Southeast European countries.
As co-chair of the Brdo-Brioni Process, Milanović informed participating heads of state that he had decided to cancel the planned meeting in Croatia.
In addition to the presidents of Croatia, Slovenia, and Serbia, the Brdo-Brioni Process also includes the leaders of Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, North Macedonia, and Albania.
Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković said he was unaware of Milanović’s decision to cancel the summit. Commenting on Vučić’s statements, he described them as “two false narratives”.
“One is that Croatia is interfering in Serbia’s internal political affairs and is one of the instigators or co-organisers of an ‘orange revolution’. The other is that Croatia is forming a military alliance with Albania and Kosovo against Serbia. Both claims are entirely false,” Plenković told reporters.
Croatian Foreign Minister Gordan Grlić Radman also rejected claims by Serbian officials of Croatian interference in local elections, calling them “conspiracy theories”.
“It seems to me that the citizens of Serbia understand that this has nothing to do with Croatia,” Grlić Radman said in response to journalists’ questions.
He also stated that politicians in Serbia should not engage in “fabrications”, but instead focus on reforms and meeting the criteria necessary for progress in the European Union accession process.
The latest in a series of tensions between Serbia and Croatia was triggered by Serbia’s procurement of missiles from China. On 13 March, Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković said he had written to NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte regarding the issue.
Serbia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has also placed Croatia on a list of countries that should be visited only “in cases of absolute necessity”, citing “increasingly frequent incidents, tensions, and unfavourable security conditions”, without specifying the events in question.
(Radio Free Europe, 31.03.2026)
https://www.slobodnaevropa.org/a/srbija-hrvatska-milanovic-vucic/33720051.html