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Serbia reopens border for Croatian trucks, goods

Xinhua, September 26, 2015 Adjust font size:

Serbian government voted Friday evening at an extraordinary session to cancel the countermeasures against Croatia, and thus enabled Croatian trucks carrying goods to enter Serbia again.

The decision was made on the proposition of the Serbian PM Aleksandar Vucic who in his opening speech said that countermeasures should be cancelled as they were a reaction to the blockade coming from the Croatian side which ended today.

Croatia closed its border for all traffic coming from the Serbian side six days ago. Such reaction by Croatia was provoked by the high inflow of refugees from the Middle East and Africa who arrived from the Hungarian border that was at the time completely blocked for them.

Serbia decided to close entrance to the country in reaction to the Croatia's decision by preventing trucks with Croatian car plates to enter Serbia but allowing passenger cars and buses.

Croatian reaction to Serbia's move was preventing Serbian cars with Serbian plates from entering, so Serbian citizens could on Thursday enter Croatia on foot.

In the open part of tonight's government session, Vucic said that the Croatia's decision to open its border crossings is not a victory of Serbia, but a triumph of the "common sense and of the future".

From tonight Croatian trucks carrying goods and trucks of other countries carrying Croatian goods will enter the country without restrictions, as Croatia decided to open its two border crossings, Bajakovo and Tovarnik for regular traffic.

Vucic said that the countermeasures proved as a good means to protect national interests.

"We wanted to defend our country and protect our national interests. I am proud of Serbian citizens who understood the importance of protecting ourselves," Vucic said, adding that Serbia did not wish for such economic conflicts.

He concluded that Serbia wishes to build best possible relations with Croatia in future, and announced that from tomorrow the border incident with Croatia should not be brought up anymore. Endit