Foreign and Interior Ministers meeting in Berlin
Harsh criticism of Croatia’s foreign minister for an intrusive attempt at kissing Baerbock
Quickly turned away: Gordan Grlic Radman’s attempt at greeting Annalena Baerbock was very clumsy
© John MacDougall / AFP
Croatian Foreign Minister Gordan Grlic Radman apparently tried to kiss his German counterpart Annalena Baerbock during a large group photo shoot. Whether intentional or misunderstanding: There is a lot of criticism at home.
A clumsy attempt to kiss Federal Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock by Croatian Foreign Minister Gordan Grlic Radman has sparked harsh criticism in his home country. The minister’s behavior was “highly inappropriate,” women’s rights activist Rada Boric told the newspaper “Jutarnij List” on Friday. “Forcible kissing of women is also called violence, isn’t it?” asked former head of government Jadranka Kosor on the online service X, formerly Twitter.
The 65-year-old Grlic Radman had tried Kissing Baerbock on Thursday during a group photo on the sidelines of a conference of European foreign ministers in Berlin. Video footage circulating online shows Grlic Radman first extending his hand to greet Baerbock, but then suddenly leaning in for a kiss. The Federal Foreign Minister quickly turns her head away to avoid the kiss.
Gordan Grlic Radman: What’s the problem?
The Croatian Foreign Minister told reporters that he “doesn’t know what the problem is”: “We always greet each other warmly. This is a warm rapprochement between colleagues.” Women’s rights activist Boric, on the other hand, criticized that the video “clearly shows that there is no such relationship here and that the minister was surprised by such an approach.”