Zagreb - Croatian Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković on Monday condemned in the strongest terms as inappropriate a statement that European Parliament President Antonio Tajani made at the Basovizza pit near Trieste, downplaying the consequences of the fascist regime, saying "Long live Italian Istria, long live Italian Dalmatia."
- European Parliament President Tajani's statement is shamefully distorting historical facts that do not become a president of an EU institution, issued by Jandroković.
Addressing the event, which commemorated the victims of the foibe, karst pits in Istria, Croatia, and part of northern Italy, into which the bodies of Italians, killed by Yugoslav Partisans in the aftermath of WWII, were dumped, Tajani said "Long live Trieste, long live Italian Istria, long live Italian Dalmatia."
- Apart from representing dangerous revisionist rhetoric about long resolved historical issues, the European Parliament president's statement is contrary to the values of the European Parliament, which he is at the helm of, as well as the fundamental values on which the European Union was created, Jandroković said.
- Croatia always condemned and condemns all crimes committed under the Nazi, fascist and communist regimes and believes that victims of any crime cannot be used for political purposes. In today's complex and unstable world, statement of this kind do not contribute to the strengthening of European values, but on the contrary, they can incite new tensions and conflicts, issued by Croatian Parliament Speaker.