After a kiss attack on Baerbock
Croatia’s Foreign Minister apologizes
November 4, 2023, 12:42 p.m
Croatia’s Foreign Minister Radman asserts that it was a friendly gesture. His kiss attack on Federal Foreign Minister Baerbock is not well received in his country and on social media.
After a kiss for Federal Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock that was deemed inappropriate by the audience, Croatia’s Foreign Minister Gordan Grlic Radman apologized. He was not immediately aware that he might have embarrassed his German counterpart with the friendly gesture at the EU foreign ministers’ meeting in Berlin on Thursday. “Maybe it was an unpleasant moment,” Radman said, according to Croatian media.
“If anyone saw anything bad in that, then I apologize to whoever took it that way.” Because his plane was late, he only saw Baerbock during the “family photo” with all his EU colleagues, Radman continued. “I don’t know what the problem was. I didn’t see it; I wasn’t aware of it. We always greet each other warmly. It’s a warm human interaction between colleagues.”
Video footage of the incident showed Radman trying to kiss Baerbock while taking the “family photo” and how she quickly turned away to the side. The “Bild” newspaper first reported about it. According to “Bild,” those around Baerbock said it was a clumsy attempt to quickly greet each other.
The Croat is now being accused, among other things, on social networks of having publicly embarrassed a German government politician and shamed his country. “Kissing women forcibly is also called violence, right?” wrote Croatia’s former Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor (2009-2011) on the platform X (formerly Twitter).