Djuric confers with Grlic-Radman: Fostering and promotion of relations with neighbours is a national interest of Serbia
Djuric told the press that, at the meeting in Novi Sad, the interlocutors discussed ways to trace the path for relations in the future, while also resolving outstanding issues from the past.
"Serbia is very interested in having good, stable, quality and mutually beneficial relations with its neighbour Croatia, and I believe that the persons belonging to the Croatian people in Serbia and the persons belonging to the Serbian people in Croatia can represent a strong and stable bridge for cooperation between our two countries and our two societies", Djuric said.
According to the Minister, the two countries need each other in the context of the region and as neighbours, as well as in the context of addressing and promoting the situation of the Serbian community in Croatia and the Croatian community in Serbia.
Djuric recalled that the project to reconstruct the home of Ban Jelacic was being realized at the initiative of President Aleksandar Vucic, and that it would soon be fully functional in terms of preserving the cultural, national and spiritual identity of the Croatian people in Serbia.
"We also want to see constant continuous efforts in promoting the position of the Croatian people in local self-governments and various institutions and levels of governance. The fact that Mr. Zigmanov and the Croatian National Council are actively participating in that process speaks well of the intentions of our government", Djuric noted.
Serbia, at the same time, as he pointed out, wished to see the constant improvement of the position of the Serbian people and the Serbian community in Croatia.
According to the Minister, it is very good that the appointment of a Serbian coordinator of the Joint Commission for resolving outstanding issues has been agreed upon.
"All of this should create some institutional prerequisites for our relationship to progress on the basis of mutual respect and trust in the future. Therefore, the key words for the future of relations between Serbia and Croatia, in my humble opinion, are respect and building trust between the two freedom-loving peoples, also evidenced by the earlier history in which our relations were not based only on conflicts as during the 20th century”, the Serbian Foreign Minister said.
He stated that he would work with a lot of energy to resolve outstanding issues, so that future generations would inherit a different kind of political paradigm.
Minister Djuric emphasized that, when it comes to missing persons, there was a political will to resolve the issue.
"I believe that this joint commission, which we have agreed to revive, to give it a new and additional impetus, can help us to that end, and the important message is that it will have the political support", said the head of Serbian diplomacy.
Croatian Foreign Minister Gordan Grlic Radman underlined the issue of missing persons as the most important among the inherited outstanding issues, expressing the expectation that it would be resolved in cooperation between the two countries.
"It is important to point out that it is in the interest of both Croatia and Serbia to live our lives in stability and in peace, as good neighbours", Grlic Radman said.
According to Minister Grlic Radman, Croatia supported Serbia's EU path, but it was important to resolve outstanding bilateral issues, as well as Serbia's alignment with the EU's common foreign and security policy.
"In a very challenging geopolitical situation, it is important to promote regional stability and good-neighbourly relations. It seems to me that this is a pledge for our future. We need to acknowledge the past as it was, but also resolve what is burdening us today in order to look positively into the future in the interest of the two countries and future generations", Grlic Radman stated.
