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Serbia, Croatia sign declaration to improve relations

Xinhua, June 21, 2016 Adjust font size:

Serbia and Croatia on Monday confirmed their readiness to improve relations by signing a declaration by which they oblige to solve all open bilateral issues.

Signing ceremony in the City of Subotica took place after a whole-day visit of Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic and Croatian President Kolinda Grabar Kitanovic to minority communities in Serbia and Croatia that started earlier Monday on the middle of the bridge over Danube River in the border zone between the two countries.

Both sides agreed at a joint press conference in Subotica City Hall in Serbia, that the declaration is a first step resolving many issues postponed in the past two and a half decades since the disintegration of Yugoslavia, and the war in the 1990s.

"Through this declaration we express that we wish our relations develop, while within that there are many concrete things we must achieve," Vucic said in Subotica after the signing ceremony.

"I thank Vucic for his pledge to make concrete steps to solve many problems of the Croatian community in Serbia," Grabar Kitanovic said, adding that the protection of Croatian minority in Serbia will also be her responsibility in the future.

Declaration that was previously adopted by both governments of Serbia and Croatia deals with six open issues - from protection of minorities,border line to succession of the Yugoslavian property, missing persons, migrant crisis and cross-border cooperation projects.

According to Monday's declaration, the two sides will first, improve protection of minorities in line with previous agreements and international conventions; second, delegation of the two countries will immediately start negotiations on defining the border line between Serbia and Croatia; third, the two sides are ready to speed up the implementation of the Agreement on succession from 2001; fourth, to search for missing persons their number one humanitarian priority.

The two countries also agree to actively coordinate act in the fight against terrorism and the migrant crisis and jointly engage in development and cross-border cooperation projects.

"If we cannot make a deal considering the border we will go to court, and that is a good solution," Vucic commented at the press conference in Subotica City Hall.

Before the signing of the declaration, Vucic and Kitanovic visited the birth house of Serbian scientist Milutin Milankovic in Dalj in Croatia, followed by a joint visit to the village Donji Tavankut near Subotica where many ethnic Croats live. Enditem