New York:Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic condemned Serbia at the UN General Assembly for bestowing official honors on the late convicted war criminal Ratko Mladic, describing the act as an affront to justice.

According to Anadolu Agency, Plenkovic stated that the military and official honors given to Mladic in Serbia were disrespectful to his victims and disregarded the judgments of international courts. He emphasized that genuine reconciliation in Europe necessitates addressing historical crimes directly, with states respecting victims and rejecting any institutional glorification of perpetrators.

Plenkovic highlighted that state participation in events celebrating Mladic is "totally incompatible with the values of a union Serbia seeks to join." He reminded the assembly that Mladic's crimes, which culminated in the 1995 Srebrenica genocide, began with the bombardment of Croatian cities, civilian murders, and the destruction of cultural and industrial infrastructure.

Mladic, known as the "Butcher of Bosnia," was sentenced to life imprisonment by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia in 2017 for genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity during the 1992-1995 conflict. He died in custody in The Hague in August this year.

In addition to addressing issues related to Serbia, Plenkovic turned his attention to the Middle East, urging the international community to uphold the same legal standards to protect civilians and ensure unhindered humanitarian access in Gaza. He reiterated Croatia's support for a negotiated two-state solution to allow Israelis and Palestinians to coexist peacefully and securely.