Pop singer Ivana Vrdoljak, known as Vanna, cancelled a concert in Montenegro after critics at home complained she would be performing on a ship that they insist was “stolen” from Croatia during the war in 1991.
Vanna on Wednesday cancelled the concert that was due to take place in the coastal town of Tivat on the deck of the Montenegrin military’s ship ‘Jadran’ amid an ongoing row over the vessel’s ownership.
The concert planned for August 17 was cancelled after the pop singer came under pressure in Croatia not to perform on a boat that critics said was “stolen” from her home country.
Croatia has been demanding that Montenegro return the military training ship that was taken away in 1991 by the Yugoslav People’s Army from the naval base in the Croatian city of Split.
The organiser of Vanna’s concert was the Tourist Organisation of Tivat as part of a celebration of the 85th anniversary of the Jadran training ship, which is being celebrated in Montenegro’s Boka Bay with a number of events this week.
N1 TV reported that Vanna found herself in the centre of a “diplomatic incident between Croatia and Montenegro” because Zagreb has been putting increased international pressure on Podgorica to return the ship.
After pressure from Croatia and comments in local media saying that under such circumstances she should not perform on the Jadran, Vanna cancelled the concert.
The cancelled concert in Montenegro came just days after Serbian rock band Bajaga & Instruktori were prevented from performing in Croatia.
Bajaga & Instruktori were to perform at the ‘Days of Beer’ in the Croatian city of Karlovac, but after a series of complaints from local war veterans, the organisers decided to invite another band.
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