"Kosovo won't affect Serbian-Croatian relations"

Croatia and Serbia are mutually tied and relations won't sour if Croatia recognizes Kosovo, says Stjepan Mesic. “I don’t believe it’s in Serbia’s interests to break off relations with Croatia or for Croatia to isolate Serbia. We are tied to each other, we have a compatible economy, we have a chance to develop our relations still further and I think reason will prevail,” Mesic told reporters after celebrations to mark Serbia’s statehood day organized by the Serbian embassy in Zagreb. "Kosovo won't affect Serbian-Croatian relations" Asked whether he was afraid of a deterioration in bilateral relations or even an interruption of diplomatic relations with Serbia in the event of an immediate Croatian recognition of Kosovo independence, the Croatian president replied that he did not expect Serbia to break off relations with any country, as this could only exacerbate matters. Serbian ambassador to Croatia Radivoj Cveticanin added that he did not want to guess or speculate, and agreed with Mesic’s view that he would prefer not to speak “about what will happen if it happens.” As far as Kosovo is concerned, the Croatian president said that he had offered a way out to both sides that appeared not to have been accepted. This, he said, was the German model, explaining that when the world recognized East and West Germany, the West had then said that she would never recognize the East as a foreign country. “And they didn’t recognize it, but links were established between both governments, but not at ambassadorial level, but at state level, and that functioned until re-unification. I proposed a solution be reached on the basis of that model, but clearly it was not adopted,” said Mesic, adding that there was still a chance right up until independence was actually declared. Stjepan Mesic (FoNet, archive)

"Kosovo won't affect Serbian-Croatian relations"

Asked whether he was afraid of a deterioration in bilateral relations or even an interruption of diplomatic relations with Serbia in the event of an immediate Croatian recognition of Kosovo independence, the Croatian president replied that he did not expect Serbia to break off relations with any country, as this could only exacerbate matters.

Serbian ambassador to Croatia Radivoj Cvetićanin added that he did not want to guess or speculate, and agreed with Mesić’s view that he would prefer not to speak “about what will happen if it happens.”

As far as Kosovo is concerned, the Croatian president said that he had offered a way out to both sides that appeared not to have been accepted. This, he said, was the German model, explaining that when the world recognized East and West Germany, the West had then said that she would never recognize the East as a foreign country.

“And they didn’t recognize it, but links were established between both governments, but not at ambassadorial level, but at state level, and that functioned until re-unification. I proposed a solution be reached on the basis of that model, but clearly it was not adopted,” said Mesić, adding that there was still a chance right up until independence was actually declared.