Croatia's celebratory tone 30 years after criminal operation is concerning - Serbian MFA

BELGRADE - The Serbian MFA said on Sunday evening it was concerning that, 30 years after the criminal 'Operation Storm', a rhetoric of hatred and intolerance and an increasingly frequent discourse fostering ethnic division were still present in Croatia, and noted that Croatia's celebratory and triumphalist tone, "with no recognition of the suffering of the victims and without a genuine effort toward acknowledgment", was a cause for further concern.

"Unfortunately, such phenomena are neither isolated nor sporadic — they reflect a broader societal atmosphere that runs counter to the fundamental values upon which Europe is built", the MFA said in a statement.

"Such an approach does not contribute to reconciliation, nor does it foster mutual trust or stability in the region. Ignoring the suffering of an entire people creates space for historical revisionism and undermines the universal values upon which every democratic and peaceful order should rest.

Despite all of this, the Serbs remain steadfast and dignified in their pursuit of truth, justice, and the right to remembrance. We firmly believe that facing the past is not a path toward deepening divisions, but a foundation of historical responsibility and a prerequisite for any genuine dialogue. The Serbs, wherever they may live, have the right to remember, to speak the truth, and to take pride in their identity and perseverance through history. In the name of the future of the Serbs, we will never cease to speak about the past — so that tragedies such as 'Storm' are never repeated again", it said.

"On the occasion of the anniversary of the criminal military operation 'Storm', the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Serbia expresses its deep respect for all Serb victims and once again reminds both the domestic and international public of one of the darkest episodes in the recent history of the region.

In August 1995, a systematic campaign of ethnic cleansing was conducted, during which approximately 250,000 Serbs were expelled from their centuries-old homes, and around 2,000 persons — many of them civilians, women, and the elderly — lost their lives. These facts must neither be forgotten nor relativised", it noted.