Djuric: Serbian Government will make additional efforts to improve relations with Croatia

Serbian Foreign Minister Marko Djuric said last evening that, despite a complex and turbulent history, the Serbian and Croatian peoples share a responsibility to build a better future and write new chapters in their mutual relations, based on cooperation and genuine respect.

Addressing a ceremonial academy in Subotica marking Croatian Community Day in Serbia, attended by Croatian Foreign Minister Gordan Grlic Radman, Djuric congratulated the Croatian community in Serbia on the holiday and emphasized that members of the Croatian people have every right to be proud of their identity, culture, traditions, language, and faith.

"These are precisely the values that provide nations with a secure future in a time of global challenges," Djuric said, according to a statement from the Serbian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Djuric stated that mutual respect had characterized the talks held during the day and stressed that the Serbian Government would make additional efforts in the coming period to improve relations with the Republic of Croatia.

He emphasized that Serbia would continue to treat the Croatian community in the country with care and respect, while at the same time welcoming the efforts of the Croatian government in supporting the Serbian community in Croatia.

He pointed out that it is necessary to speak openly about all remaining unresolved issues and to work together to remove obstacles and improve the position of members of both national communities.

According to him, the Croatian community in Serbia and the Serbian community in Croatia represent an important bridge of cooperation between the two countries, while the cooperation agreement concluded by the two communities three years ago was a significant step toward building trust and good relations.

Djuric expressed confidence that through dedicated work it is possible to ensure that all citizens feel safe and equal, and that differences are viewed as a value to be celebrated together.

The Minister thanked everyone in Serbia who preserves Croatian culture, traditions, and customs, as well as members of the Serbian community in Croatia who safeguard their national identity.

He expressed special gratitude to Minister Gordan Grlic Radman, assessing that efforts to improve Serbian-Croatian relations are not always politically easy, but are undoubtedly in the interest of both peoples and both states.

The head of Serbian diplomacy wished members of the Croatian community a joyful celebration of the holiday, proud as guardians of their identity and as citizens of Serbia.

Croatian Foreign Minister Gordan Grlic Radman thanked his Serbian counterpart Marko Djuric for accepting the invitation to attend the ceremony.

"By doing so, he showed respect toward you and toward all of us, just as we show respect toward Serbia, our neighboring country with which we have had a turbulent past, but with which we wish to build good relations, fully aware of everything that happened and how it happened. However, for your sake, for our sake, and for the sake of the future, we want to continue working in the spirit of good-neighborly relations, and for that I thank him, as well as for the warm and constructive discussions," Grlic Radman said.

He expressed confidence that the results of their talks would soon become visible.