Croatian Foreign Minister Grlic Radman apologized after kissing German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock on the cheek (Photo: DPA).
According to SCMP, the Croatian diplomat gave a kiss on the cheek to welcome German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock on November 2 during an EU meeting. Mr. Radman's move was later criticized as inappropriate and he apologized.
Mr Radman said he did not immediately realise that he might have embarrassed his German counterpart by being too friendly with her.
"It was probably an awkward moment. If anyone saw it negatively, I apologize to anyone who took it that way," he said.
According to Mr. Radman, because his plane was delayed, he only met Ms. Baerbock at the time the foreign ministers gathered for a group photo.
"I don't know what the problem was. I didn't notice it. We always greeted each other warmly. It was a warm interaction between colleagues," the Croatian diplomat explained.
Video footage of the incident shows Mr Radman kissing Ms Baerbock on the cheek as the diplomats posed for a group photo and she quickly turned away.
The German newspaper Bild was the first to report the incident. According to the newspaper, a source close to Ms. Baerbock said that she may have deliberately turned her head away to avoid the kiss on the cheek.
Mr Radman later received criticism for this move, including from former Croatian Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor - who led the country from 2009-2011. Ms Kosor said that this could be considered an act of "forced kissing".
Croatian women's rights activist Rada Boric said Mr Radman's actions were "highly inappropriate" and Ms Baerbock was clearly "surprised by such intimacy".
A member of the Croatian parliament's gender equality committee, Ivana Kekin, said Mr Radman's alleged actions were inappropriate in terms of diplomacy, protocol and basic etiquette.
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