Croatia’s foreign minister sparked controversy after he was caught awkwardly trying to kiss his German counterpart during a group photo on Thursday.
Gordan Grlic Radman, 65, at the same time reached out to shake hands with Annalena Baerbock and leaned towards her lips during a photo shoot for the European Union conference in Berlin.
Baerbock, 42, politely offered Grlic Radman his cheek and turned directly to the cameras before laughing awkwardly. The video of the embarrassing encounter shows.
Once the photo session is over, Baerbock takes a step away from Grlic Radman and turns to talk to someone behind him, while the Croatian politician keeps his eyes glued to her.
None of the other dozen foreign bosses seemed fazed by the kiss, but prominent leaders and social media users spoke out, calling Grlic Radman’s actions shameful.
Prominent Croatian women’s rights activist Rada Boric criticized the minister’s move as “very inappropriate” and added that the “warm greetings” were out of place for the professional relationship.
“It is clear that such a relationship does not exist here and that the (German) minister was surprised by such closeness,” Boric told local media Jutarnji List.
Croatian Foreign Minister Gordan Grlic-Radman leans in to kiss his German counterpart Annalena Baerbock as they pose for a group photo during an EU conference in Berlin on Thursday, November 3. AFP via Getty Images None of the other dozen foreign bosses seemed fazed. for the kiss, but prominent leaders and social media users criticized and called Grlic Radman’s actions shameful. AFP via Getty Images
Former Croatian Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor harshly criticized Grlic Radman in a post on Xwithout directly mentioning his name or the incident itself.
“Kissing women violently is also called violence, right?” she wrote.
Other local media criticized the incident as “sexual harassment.”
Grlic Radman ignored the criticism and said he was just trying to greet his counterpart.
Once the photo session is over, Baerbock takes a step away from Grlic Radman and turns to talk to someone behind him, while the Croatian politician keeps his eyes glued to her.AFP via Getty Images
“I don’t know what the problem was… We always greet each other cordially. “It’s warm human treatment of a colleague,” he told reporters, according to Barron’s.
Baerbock has not commented on the awkward display of affection, but those around her reportedly said that Grlic Radman had arrived late to the photo shoot and had not yet greeted the German foreign minister.
The kiss was just a “clumsy attempt at a quick hello,” sources told German outlet Bild.
Grlic Radman and Belgium’s Foreign Minister Hadja Lahbib attend an informal meeting of EU foreign ministers in Toledo, Spain, August 31, 2023.REUTERS
The incident comes just months after Spanish soccer director Luis Rubiales received harsh criticism for kissing player Jenni Hermoso on the lips during the Women’s World Cup ceremony, something he later said made him uncomfortable.
Rubiales initially defended the kiss before publicly apologizing and eventually resigning.
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Source: vtt.edu.vn