Mystery Surrounds Croatia President's US Visit

Despite media pressure, the Office of Croatian President Kolinda Grabar Kitarovic has supplied little information about the purpose of her visit to the US capital, Washington, fuelling speculation about the possible reasons.

The President is "on an official visit to the United States together with the head of the cabinet Natalija Hmelina. During her visit, the President will have meetings with representatives of political and social life and the non-governmental sector. The President travelled on a regular commercial flight," the President's office told the regional N1 network on Wednesday.

Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic - from the centre-right Croatian Democratic Union, HDZ, the party to which Grabar Kitarovic belonged before she became head of state - on Wednesday said she would have "important and useful talks", also not specifying with whom or on what.

Her Office initially informed the public on Saturday that Grabar Kitarovic would visit the US from New Year until Thursday.

Three individuals reported her on Wednesday to Croatia's commission on conflicts of interest, demanding to know whether the purpose of the trip was private or official and whether the law on the conflict had been breached.

Critics said that the President should have informed the public of her exact whereabouts as, among other things, her security is funded from the state budget, and that it should be clarified who financed her trip.

Controversially, she went to the US on December 29, 2015 at state expense even though her official visit did not start until January 4.

Her Office said at the time that "private celebrations of the President… aren't within the competency of the Office of the President, nor are records made of them".

The...