Serbian, Croatian PMs meet in Belgrade

BELGRADE Serbian Prime Minister Ivica Dacic and his Croatian counterpart Zoran Milanovic met in Belgrade on Wednesday and agreed that the meeting was positive. The meeting was held behind closed doors and lasted for about two hours. Serbian, Croatian PMs meet in Belgrade Serbian Deputy PM Rasim Ljajic, Foreign Minister Ivan Mrkic and Croatian Deputy Foreign Minister Josko Klisovic later joined Dacic and Milanovic for lunch. Dacic said after the meeting that they had discussed the EU, economic cooperation and all open issues. “There are many issues that we agree on, there are emotional issues but we are aware that we need to cooperate and it is inconceivable for the two neighboring countries to have unresolved issues. There are talks that the meeting was organized because of the pressure from Brussels but Brussels is surprised by the meeting. This is our initiative, we cannot change the past but we can change the present and the future,” he underscored. He added that operative cooperation between the two countries was important and assessed that the meeting was “positive”. “We agreed that our relations should be normalized and we defined three sets of issues. There is nothing new here, we have been discussing all that for many years,” the Serbian PM said. He added that the first set of issues referred to matters from the past and that most of them dated back to mid-90s, while one of the new ones was a verdict of the Hague Tribunal. According to him, the second set of issues refers to economic cooperation and the third focuses on the EU accession. “We want to open up the issue of economic cooperation between Serbia and Croatia regardless of changes that will take place due to Croatia’s EU accession,” Dacic said and stressed that Croatia supported Serbia on its EU pathway. Commenting on the not-guilty verdict delivered by the Hague Tribunal in the case against Croat Generals Ante Gotovina and Mladen Markac, he said that everybody who committed crimes during the Operation Storm needed to answer for their actions. Milanovic said that the meeting with his Serbian counterpart could have been organized earlier but that certain things were in the way. He added that good relations between Belgrade and Zagreb were not important just for the two countries but for the entire region. “We are here to see if we can do any better than that. Politics is not just about reason, it is about sense too. There is nothing new in our relations other than the fact that we have lost half a year,” the Croatian PM said. He stressed at the joint press conference that Serbia would have a more difficult EU pathway than Croatia and urged Serbia to ask for help, adding that “Croatia will be fair”. “Come to us for help. We will be fair and you will see that it will be so. Croatia will do its best without an ulterior motive,” Milanovic noted. 150 reporters and cameramen from the two states are covering the meeting. According to the Serbian government’s Communications Bureau, representatives of ten news desks from Croatia, 18 correspondents and journalists from 23 Serbian news desks are reporting about the two prime ministers’ meeting. Zagreb-based daily Jutarnji list writes that Milanovic came to Serbia by car and that he was welcomed by Croatian Ambassador to Serbia Zeljko Kupresak at the border crossing. Milanovic was scheduled to meet with representatives of the Croatian community in Serbia in the Croatian Embassy at 15:15 CET. The visit was organized at Croatian PM’s initiative. This was his first official visit to Serbia since he took office. Serbian President Tomislav Nikolic said on Wednesday that he should have met with Croatia’s President Ivo Josipovic before Milanovic and Dacic met. Nikolic said he did not understand why Josipovic kept avoiding the meeting, stressing that he was the one who should represent Serbia and its citizens in the country and abroad. Dacic told a press conference that he hoped that the two presidents would meet soon and it “will be another contribution to normalization of relations of the two countries,” adding that it was the governments’ job to solve issues. “This is not a secret visit. I have no comment on whether the Serbian president reproaches anyone about anything or not and I do not believe that he can criticize anything because what we are doing is in the interest of both countries,” the Serbian prime minister concluded. Zoran Milanovic and Ivica Dacic (MUP) B92 Beta Tanjug

Serbian, Croatian PMs meet in Belgrade

Serbian Deputy PM Rasim Ljajić, Foreign Minister Ivan Mrkić and Croatian Deputy Foreign Minister Joško Klisović later joined Dačić and Milanović for lunch.

Dačić said after the meeting that they had discussed the EU, economic cooperation and all open issues.

“There are many issues that we agree on, there are emotional issues but we are aware that we need to cooperate and it is inconceivable for the two neighboring countries to have unresolved issues. There are talks that the meeting was organized because of the pressure from Brussels but Brussels is surprised by the meeting. This is our initiative, we cannot change the past but we can change the present and the future,” he underscored.

He added that operative cooperation between the two countries was important and assessed that the meeting was “positive”.

“We agreed that our relations should be normalized and we defined three sets of issues. There is nothing new here, we have been discussing all that for many years,” the Serbian PM said.

He added that the first set of issues referred to matters from the past and that most of them dated back to mid-90s, while one of the new ones was a verdict of the Hague Tribunal.

According to him, the second set of issues refers to economic cooperation and the third focuses on the EU accession.

“We want to open up the issue of economic cooperation between Serbia and Croatia regardless of changes that will take place due to Croatia’s EU accession,” Dačić said and stressed that Croatia supported Serbia on its EU pathway.

Commenting on the not-guilty verdict delivered by the Hague Tribunal in the case against Croat Generals Ante Gotovina and Mladen Markač, he said that everybody who committed crimes during the Operation Storm needed to answer for their actions.

Milanović said that the meeting with his Serbian counterpart could have been organized earlier but that certain things were in the way. He added that good relations between Belgrade and Zagreb were not important just for the two countries but for the entire region.

“We are here to see if we can do any better than that. Politics is not just about reason, it is about sense too. There is nothing new in our relations other than the fact that we have lost half a year,” the Croatian PM said.

He stressed at the joint press conference that Serbia would have a more difficult EU pathway than Croatia and urged Serbia to ask for help, adding that “Croatia will be fair”.

“Come to us for help. We will be fair and you will see that it will be so. Croatia will do its best without an ulterior motive,” Milanović noted.

150 reporters and cameramen from the two states are covering the meeting. According to the Serbian government’s Communications Bureau, representatives of ten news desks from Croatia, 18 correspondents and journalists from 23 Serbian news desks are reporting about the two prime ministers’ meeting.

Zagreb-based daily Jutarnji list writes that Milanović came to Serbia by car and that he was welcomed by Croatian Ambassador to Serbia Željko Kuprešak at the border crossing.

Milanović was scheduled to meet with representatives of the Croatian community in Serbia in the Croatian Embassy at 15:15 CET.

The visit was organized at Croatian PM’s initiative. This was his first official visit to Serbia since he took office.

Serbian President Tomislav Nikolić said on Wednesday that he should have met with Croatia’s President Ivo Josipović before Milanović and Dačić met.

Nikolić said he did not understand why Josipović kept avoiding the meeting, stressing that he was the one who should represent Serbia and its citizens in the country and abroad.

Dačić told a press conference that he hoped that the two presidents would meet soon and it “will be another contribution to normalization of relations of the two countries,” adding that it was the governments’ job to solve issues.

“This is not a secret visit. I have no comment on whether the Serbian president reproaches anyone about anything or not and I do not believe that he can criticize anything because what we are doing is in the interest of both countries,” the Serbian prime minister concluded.