ZAGREB, April 28, 2018 - President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović said on Friday Croatia was still extending its hand for dialogue with Serbia, but added that dialogue required two parties.
"We have extended our hand for dialogue, but it takes two parties to do that. This is not only a matter of discussing outstanding issues, but there must be a sincere wish for those issues to be resolved," Grabar-Kitarović said in Skopje where she was taking part in a meeting of the Brdo-Brijuni Process, which was also attended by Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić.
The Serbian government on Thursday decided to declare Croatian Defence Minister Damir Krstičević persona non grata. "The Serbian government decided at its session on Thursday to adopt reciprocal measures against Croatia, under which Croatian Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Damir Krstičević is not welcome in Serbia until further notice," the government said in a press release.
It said this was a reciprocal measure to counter the Croatian Foreign and European Affairs Ministry's decision of 21 April declaring Serbian Defence Minister Aleksandar Vulin persona non grata in Croatia.
Grabar-Kitarović said that Croatian and Serbian leaders "must show enough maturity to resolve outstanding issues," underlining that Croatia was fully prepared to talk to Serbia "in the spirit of good neighbourly relations," but in a way to preserve the dignity of Croatia's state, its people and all Croatian citizens, including the Serb community in Croatia.
She said that her planned return visit to Serbia, at the invitation of Serbian President Vučić, was still on. "Nobody has cancelled it. I am willing to continue cooperation, however, before that we need to make some concrete progress. Progress has been made after the last visit, let's not underestimate it, because positive things have happened, but we must move forward in our bilateral relations," Grabar-Kitarović said.
She confirmed she talked to Prime Minister Andrej Plenković on Friday morning about the current state of affairs with Serbia, saying that Croatian leaders in general should talk more about relations with the neighbouring countries. "I am confident that coordination is extremely important so that we could protect the interests of our country and show that Croatia is a mature European democratic state that treats all outstanding issues rationally, but from the position of the protection of national interests," Grabar-Kitarović said.
The Croatian president was taking part in the meeting of the Brdo-Brijuni Process, launched in 2013 by Slovenia and Croatia in order to further stabilise the situation in Southeast Europe through regional cooperation and by solving outstanding issues. The meeting was also attended by the leaders of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Albania, Kosovo, Macedonia and Montenegro, as well as European Council President Donald Tusk and Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borissov.
"I met Tusk today and I explained some elements that are related not only to relations between Croatia and Serbia but the area of Southeast Europe in general," said Grabar-Kitarović, who also held a bilateral meeting with Slovenian President Borut Pahor. "This was part of our regular meetings that we shall continue to have," the Croatian president said, announcing they would meet again in May.
