Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković delivered a speech at the United Nations General Assembly at the UN headquarters in New York, where he stated that international law is the boundary between order and tyranny and called for a renewal of trust in multilateralism that delivers results.
Plenković emphasised that Croatia supports rules-based multilateralism as the pinnacle of human cooperation, stressing that the response to today's challenges is not less multilateralism, but multilateralism that delivers results. Speaking about Croatia's path as a country that experienced aggression, defended itself, rebuilt, developed democracy and integrated into global organisations, he stated that for small and medium-sized states, international law is not an abstraction.
According to him, international law is the boundary between sovereign equality and the rule of force. Croatia, he said, experienced the rule of force in the 1990s in a war that claimed almost 20 thousand lives. He stressed that peace requires courage, credible institutions and rules applied equally to all. He called the Russian aggression against Ukraine, which is still ongoing, a direct violation of these rules and announced that Croatia will continue to support Ukraine. He also stated that peace cannot reward conquest, and recovery cannot be separated from justice.
Plenković emphasised that the same must apply in the Middle East, where the protection of civilians, unimpeded humanitarian access, respect for international law and a credible political perspective are key to breaking the cycle of violence. He reiterated that Croatia supports a two-state solution in which Israelis and Palestinians live in peace and security.
The world, he assessed, is changing today under the influence of technology, climate change, demographic pressures, irregular migration and geopolitical rivalry. In this context, he said, the United Nations must also transform. Croatia supports a UN that is more effective, accountable and financially sustainable, and stronger in all three pillars: peace and security, sustainable development and human rights. He stressed that reform must result in a more representative and effective Security Council, noting that the General Assembly can and must act when the Council is blocked, but cannot replace its primary responsibility as defined by the UN Charter.
Therefore, he said, the choice of the next secretary-general is all the more important. He thanked António Guterres for his work over the past decade. The Portuguese diplomat's second term ends at the end of this year, and discussions about his successor are underway. There are seven candidates, and according to the UN's informal system of regional rotation, the leadership of the organisation could be taken by someone from Latin America. Some analysts predict that the UN could get its first woman in that position.
Plenković also emphasised that artificial intelligence can accelerate development, but its use must remain in line with legal frameworks, human dignity and democratic accountability. Renewed nuclear rhetoric, he said, makes a firm commitment to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons more important than ever. Climate action should, in his view, be used to strengthen energy security and social cohesion, and experience shows that the green transition should not be ideological. It can only survive when it is technologically realistic, socially just, compatible with safe and affordable energy, and when it supports overall development. It is particularly important for Europe, which imports most of its energy, and the production of energy from renewable sources is a strategic necessity.
Irregular migration, he warned, has caused distrust in Europe and changed the political landscape in many countries. He called such a situation unacceptable and stated that it cannot continue, noting that the rule of law must be respected and legal procedures followed.
He also touched upon EU enlargement, saying that Southeast Europe remains an unfinished part of the European project and that Croatia continues to support enlargement on the basis of merit. European transformation requires honesty about the past, and reconciliation becomes possible when responsibility for past crimes is acknowledged and their glorification rejected. This standard, he stressed, does not allow for national exceptions.
Plenković also referred to the recent farewell of war criminal Ratko Mladić in Belgrade with state honours. He emphasised that Mladić is a convicted war criminal responsible for the Srebrenica genocide, the first genocide in Europe after the Holocaust, and that this was the culmination of his criminal trail, which he had previously left in Croatia through the shelling of cities, murder of civilians, mining of dams and destruction of cultural heritage and industrial facilities. The military and official honours awarded to Mladić in Serbia were called an insult to his victims and the judgments of international courts, and the participation of state representatives and the public approval that accompanied the ceremony was assessed as being in complete contradiction with the values of the Union to which Serbia wishes to accede.
Commitment to equality and reforms, he stated, should also guide Bosnia and Herzegovina. Croats in BiH continue to be denied legitimate representation, including in the Presidency, which he called unjust, destabilising and contrary to the spirit of the Dayton Agreement. The solution, he concluded, is neither division nor domination.
