Croatian Foreign Minister Gordan Grlic Radman stoked a massive controversy after a photo of him trying to kiss his German counterpart Annalena Baerbock during a group photo session in Berlin went viral online. In videos posted on social media, Radman was seen reaching out to Baerbock to shake her hand. Later, he tries to kiss her on the cheek but the latter dodges his affection. The incident occurred post an EU conference in the city.
Croatia foreign minister kisses his German counterpart (AFP)
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Former Croatian prime minister Jadranka Kosor took to social media to criticise Radman over the incident. "Violent kissing of women is also called violence, is it not?," Kosor wrote in Croatian.
Responding to the incident, Radman said, “I don't know what the problem was... We always greet each other warmly. It is a warm human approach to a colleague.”
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Croatian women's rights activist Rada Boric then slammed the minister and termed the incident as "highly inappropriate", adding that "warm greetings" should happen only among those whose relationship allows kissing.
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Croatian women's rights activist Rada Boric then slammed the minister and termed the incident as "highly inappropriate", adding that "warm greetings" should happen only among those whose relationship allows kissing.
"It's clear that such a relationship doesn't exist here and that the (German) minister was left surprised with such closeness," Rada Boric told the Jutarnji List outlet.
Just a few months prior to this incident, Spain's soccer chief Luis Rubiales faced strong criticism for kissing player Jenni Hermoso on the lips during the Women's World Cup ceremony, an action she later expressed discomfort with.
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Rubiales initially defended his actions .“The kiss was the same I could give one of my daughters,” Rubiales said. However, he apologised publicly later. Rubiales was suspended from his post by FIFA on Aug. 27.
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Home/World News/Croatian FM tries to kiss German counterpart, calls act ‘human approach’
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