Europe Croatian Foreign Minister Sparks Controversy with Unwanted Kiss Attempt on German Counterpart

Image Credit: European Commission

Croatian Foreign Minister Gordan Grlic Radman stirred controversy when a video of him attempting to kiss his German counterpart Annalena Baerbock went viral. During an EU conference in Berlin, Radman, 65, leaned in to kiss Baerbock on the cheek while shaking her hand, but she deftly avoided the gesture.

The incident caused a social media storm and led to outrage from feminist groups. Grlic Radman defended his actions, stating, "I don't know what the problem was... We always greet each other warmly. It is a warm human approach to a colleague."

However, prominent Croatian women's rights activist Rada Boric criticized the minister's behavior as "highly inappropriate" and emphasized that such warm greetings should only happen between individuals with a certain level of familiarity.

Former Croatian Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor also joined the criticism, highlighting the inappropriate nature of the act and equating it with a form of violence against women.