Tadić starts two-day visit to Croatia

Serbian President Boris Tadic has started his two-day official visit to Croatia, said reports. Tadic has meet with Croatian President Ivo Josipovic, and will also confer with Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor and Parliament Speaker Luka Bebic. Tadic starts two-day visit to Croatia The two presidents assessed that Serbia and Croatia have resolved many open issues in the past nine months, and that the issue of missing persons is the priority among the unresolved ones. After their closed door meeting at Josipovic's office, talks were continued in the presence of the delegations of both countries. After the meetings, the two presidents emphasized the progress the governments in Belgrade and Zagreb have achieved as regards the return of refugees. At a mutual press conference, the presidents underlined the countries' adherence to EU integrations and the importance of EU membership for the whole region. “We have had our disagreements, war havoc, victims, and we have sent apologies, which is an immensely important step for the overall relations between the two countries. No progress can be made if international and bilateral relations are not resolved and economic cooperation is not established,” Tadic concluded. The Serbian president will also meet today with representatives of the Serb National Council and the Serbian Cultural Association Prosvjeta. On the second day of the Serbian president's visit, Tadic and Josipovic will address participants of a Business Forum at the Croatian Chamber of Commerce. Tadic and Josipovic will then visit the municipality of Krnjak, central Croatia, where they will meet with local authority representatives from the regions of Banija and Kordun and representatives of the Serb population. The two presidents are also scheduled to visit the municipality of Gracac, eastern Croatia, where they will visit a fair of local products. From there, Tadic and Josipovic will go to the village of Deringaj, where they will visit a family of Serb refugee returnees. Later on Thursday, Tadic and his Croatian host will visit the Krupa Monastery. The Serbian president's second trip to Croatia this month comes after he visited Vukovar and apologized for crimes committed there. Tadic and Josipovic are seen in Zagreb (Tanjug) Serbian flags, Tadic's bow, and seafood dinner The Croatian media are covering Tadic's first official visit to that country in detail, with the reports mentioning not just the statements by the two countries' presidents, but also the fact that Zagreb is decorated with Serbian flags and that the two officials will have specialties from the Croatian peninsula of Istria for dinner. The state television (HRT) has reported about the visit by describing it as an act of turning over a new page towards the future. HRT reports the officials are surrounded by high levels of security, that reporters were not allowed to enter the Zagreb airport and record Tadic's arrival and that the motorcade could only be filmed or photographed from a certain distance. The Zagreb residents, however, are mostly fine with all the security measures and, for the most part, they welcome Tadic's visit, HRT states. Index.hr reports that the whole route Tadic took to get to Croatian President Ivo Josipovic's office is decorated with Serbian flags. According to the same website, Tadic bowed before the Croatian flag after the two countries' anthems had been played.

Tadić starts two-day visit to Croatia

The two presidents assessed that Serbia and Croatia have resolved many open issues in the past nine months, and that the issue of missing persons is the priority among the unresolved ones.

After their closed door meeting at Josipović's office, talks were continued in the presence of the delegations of both countries. After the meetings, the two presidents emphasized the progress the governments in Belgrade and Zagreb have achieved as regards the return of refugees.

At a mutual press conference, the presidents underlined the countries' adherence to EU integrations and the importance of EU membership for the whole region.

“We have had our disagreements, war havoc, victims, and we have sent apologies, which is an immensely important step for the overall relations between the two countries. No progress can be made if international and bilateral relations are not resolved and economic cooperation is not established,” Tadić concluded.

The Serbian president will also meet today with representatives of the Serb National Council and the Serbian Cultural Association Prosvjeta.

On the second day of the Serbian president's visit, Tadić and Josipović will address participants of a Business Forum at the Croatian Chamber of Commerce.

Tadić and Josipović will then visit the municipality of Krnjak, central Croatia, where they will meet with local authority representatives from the regions of Banija and Kordun and representatives of the Serb population.

The two presidents are also scheduled to visit the municipality of Gračac, eastern Croatia, where they will visit a fair of local products. From there, Tadić and Josipović will go to the village of Deringaj, where they will visit a family of Serb refugee returnees.

Later on Thursday, Tadić and his Croatian host will visit the Krupa Monastery.

The Serbian president's second trip to Croatia this month comes after he visited Vukovar and apologized for crimes committed there.

Serbian flags, Tadić's bow, and seafood dinner

The Croatian media are covering Tadić's first official visit to that country in detail, with the reports mentioning not just the statements by the two countries' presidents, but also the fact that Zagreb is decorated with Serbian flags and that the two officials will have specialties from the Croatian peninsula of Istria for dinner.

The state television (HRT) has reported about the visit by describing it as an act of turning over a new page towards the future.

HRT reports the officials are surrounded by high levels of security, that reporters were not allowed to enter the Zagreb airport and record Tadić's arrival and that the motorcade could only be filmed or photographed from a certain distance.

The Zagreb residents, however, are mostly fine with all the security measures and, for the most part, they welcome Tadić's visit, HRT states.

Index.hr reports that the whole route Tadić took to get to Croatian President Ivo Josipovic's office is decorated with Serbian flags.

According to the same website, Tadić bowed before the Croatian flag after the two countries' anthems had been played.