Croatia–United Kingdom relations, or British-Croatian relations, are foreign relations between Croatia and the United Kingdom. After Croatia declared independence from Yugoslavia in June 1991, the UK established diplomatic relations with Croatia on 25 June 1992.
UK Prime MinisterBaroness Margaret Thatcher was one of the most keen advocates of the Croatian independence during the Croatian War of Independence in the 1990s. In an interview for HRT in 1991 she said: Baroness Thatcher criticized John Major because of his appeasement to Slobodan Milošević, and the EU because it didn't immediately recognize that Serbia led aggression against Croatia. She said during her speech in the UN in September 1991 that "JNA and Serbia are leading aggression against Croatia. War in Croatia is not a battle of one ethnic group against other but battle of democracy against communism." In her book she wrote that "Yugoslavia was authoritarian and totalitarian communist state, a dungeon with a brutal Serb captors that had to fall apart." At the request of the Croatian Ambassador in LondonDrago Štambuk, Baroness gave a press statement in which he called on the international community to stop the Serbian aggression. According to statement by Mr. Štambuk for Jutarnji list, one of her advisers told her: "Mrs. Thatcher, British government will crucified you because of what you do", to which she replied: "If it is about crucifixion of me or Croatia, then it is better to crucify me. " She continued to support Croatia in public until 1993 Ahmići massacre because, as she wrote in her book Statecraft, "massacre in Ahmići convinced me that Croatia interpreted my visit to Zagreb as a signal that the world will turn a blind eye to such barbarism." After Srbs committed Srebrenica massacre in 1995, she again contacted Mr. Štambuk and asked him over the phone: "Aren’t they real animals?". She supported Croatian Operation Storm, but wasn't satisfied with President Tuđman's decision to stop near Banja Luka because she thought that he had to defeat remaining Serbian forces. According to the former Croatian US ambassador Miomir Žužul, she told him in 1997:"When you decide to do something in politics, then it should be done by the end or you have to deal with the consequences, good or bad. The worst thing is if you stop halfway. When I went to the Falklands, they all tried to stop me. I knew that I will either succeed or I'm done. But, if I went back I knew for sure that I would be done." Baroness was awarded with Grand Order of King Dmitar Zvonimir in 1998 for her "exceptional contributions to the independence and integrity of the Republic of Croatia". She visited Zagreb on September 16, 1998 and was awarded with the title "honorary citizen of Zagreb": During her speech she said:
Post-Independence
Relations have gone from strength to strength since the arrest of General Ante Gotovina and his transfer to the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia in December 2005. Croatia's relations with the UK are currently excellent. In March 2007, both countries signed a UK-Croatia Strategic Partnership, by which the United Kingdom fully supported Croatia's European Union and NATO entry bids. Now, both countries are full members of the NATO. Britain provided both political and practical support to Croatia's efforts to join the EU and NATO. The 2008-09 ‘UK-Croatia Strategic Partnership’ was launched in London on 18 June by Prime Minister Gordon Brown and Prime Minister Ivo Sanader. The UK is provided funding to assist Croatia in its entry bids, projects covered judicial reform, anti-corruption, organised crime, competition policy and food safety. Both Croatia and the United Kingdom provided contributions to the NATO mission in Afghanistan. According to the 2001 UK Census, some 6,992 Croatian born people were living in the UK.
Diplomacy
The Croatian ambassador to the United Kingdom is Dr Ivan Grdešić, he took up his post in October 2012. The British head of mission to Croatia is Ian Cliff who took up his post as chargé d'affaires in May 2015 pending the arrival of a new Ambassador in April 2016. The United Kingdom has an embassy in Zagreb and honorary consulates in Dubrovnik and Split. Croatia has an embassy in London and an honorary consulate in Edinburgh.
