First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Serbia Ivica Dacic stated today that Croatia's protest against the erection of a Monument to Milan Tepic in Belgrade was unreasonable, tragically comic and senseless, and that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs would send a protest note to the Croatian Embassy because of this act of hypocrisy.


The Serbian Foreign Minister underlined that it was shameful that Croatian officials, who were praising Ustashe, whipping up anti-Serb hysteria and violating human rights in the 21st century, were protesting because of Milan Tepic.

"Tepic was a JNA officer, who took an oath of loyalty to the state, and was responsible for the lives of youths in his unit. Major Tepic was an embodiment of honour and morals", Minister Dacic emphasized.

Minister Dacic further indicated that, despite the fact that President Aleksandar Vucic expresses in public the desire for developing good-neighbourly relations, Croatia's assaults and insults demonstrate that the Croatian leadership is not in favour of dialogue and cooperation, but exacerbation of relations.

Minister Dacic said that Croatia's protest seemed "unreasonable, tragically comic and absolutely senseless" after they have erected a monument to Ustasha terrorist Miro Barisic, who killed a Yugoslav Ambassador in Sweden, mounted a plaque "For Home Ready" – a salutation of Ustashe who have killed more than half-a-million Serbs, Jews and Roma, genocide committed by the fascist NDH and Great Croatian aggression on Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina in World War II, and after the expulsion of more than 200,000 Serbs, citizens of Croatia.