Skopje releases postage stamp with Serbia occupied by Croatia

A fierce confrontation has erupted between Skopje and Belgrade following the issuance of a stamp showing Croatia occupying lands in neighbouring countries, reported Pentapostagma.

Serbia's strong reaction was caused by the issuance of a stamp in Skopje, officially known as "North Macedonia" which shows a map of 1941-1945 Croatia that was ruled by Nazi collaborating Ustashe.

This map shows Croatia , whose borders extend into territories belonging to Serbia, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Montenegro.

The stamp was issued by the neighbouring country as a token of gratitude for Zagreb's support for Skopje's European course.

This is because the official start of Skopje's accession negotiations was approved by the European Council of the EU, chaired by the Croatian government.

The Serbian Foreign Ministry's note of protest was handed over to the Chief of Staff of the Skopje Embassy in Belgrade:

"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Serbia expresses its strong protest against the printing and publication of a stamp with the geographical map of the fascist Independent State of Croatia (NDH), which includes parts of the Republica Sprtska, Bosnia and Herzegovina and the whole of Serbia up to Belgrade. The reference to the NDH evokes memories of the citizens of Serbia and the Serbian people in general since it is the darkest period of recent history. Such attempts at historical revisionism have seriously disrupted bilateral relations between the Republic of Serbia and the Republic of 'North Macedonia,' as well as co-operation and stability throughout the region," it said.

The Serbian Foreign Ministry considers the publication of this stamp as a hostile provocation against the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the Republic of Serbia, as well as an insult to all Serbs killed in their hundreds of thousands in NDH concentration camps during World War II.

In addition to the Serbian government, the stamp in question has provoked reactions inside Skopje.