The Foreign Minister of Serbia said on Monday in Croatia that the two countries did not have to like each other, but it was their best interest to develop good relations and seek common ground.

Ivica Dacic, who took part in the Central-European Initiative (CEI) foreign ministers’ meeting in the Croatian coastal city of Split, added that one should look ahead, avoid the disputed issues and look for common ground in relations.

It is in both Croatia’s and Serbia’s interest to develop good bilateral relations. In doing so, no one should be asked to like anyone, but rather, we should solve our problems from the past while focusing on the future,” Dacic said ahead of the meeting.

Asked what specifically had been done in Croatia-Serbia relations after Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic visited Croatia in February, Dacic said the question should be addressed to Vucic. “I came to show that we want good relations. We have also done something good, which was to jointly sell the building of (former Yugoslavia’s) official residence in New York, and we are waiting for the Croatian president’s visit.”

He did not give a specific answer to when Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic would officially visit Serbia.

“I don’t know… There were ideas, Vucic and Grabar-Kitarovic spoke about it, but there are always issues that drag us back. That’s why we want to tell you to look forward and seek common interests,” he said.

He added that the two countries did not have to agree on everything, “but we are closer to each other than to others who we share some European destination with.”

Speaking about the position of the European Union, Dacic said that the weakening of global cooperation, increase of far-right movements and populism showed that the empowerment of the EU was necessary.

“The abandonment of the multilateralism, conflicts on the European borders, a rise of populism and general radicalisation of the political scene, are just some of the warnings that remind us of the necessity for a stronger and more unified position in looking for common interests in the continent,” Dacic said.

He added that the EU enlargement was the most reliable guarantee of the regional stability and that the progress of every country in the process of the EU integrations had a positive impact to the others in the region.

“In spite of all challenges the EU is facing both on political and economic levels, we believe that a clear EU membership perspective has been and still is the key factor in a series of reforms and progress in the region,” the minister said.

Dacic said that the CEI was a bridge between the EU member states and the candidates and aspirants, adding that the membership to the Initiative was essential for Serbia, mainly because of the accession talks with the EU.

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