The Serb National Council (SNV) hosted an Orthodox Christmas reception on Sunday at which its president Milorad Pupovac said Serbia and Croatia have to overcome their differences and that Sunday’s gathering was dedicated to boosting the relations of Serbs, Croats and other nations.

“For the good of the Orthodox, Catholic and all faithful with whom we live in our country. Peace from God, Christ is born!” he said.

Pupovac said 2018 was “a year of noise in the communication channels with our neighbouring countries” and that it was necessary to do more this year, not just regarding the rights of Serbs in Croatia, but also in the advancement of inter-ethnic relations and tolerance.

“We must also do everything in our power to end the period of bad decisions in relations between Croatia and Serbia, but also Bosnia and Herzegovina and our other neighbours, because those (decisions), it’s clear to see, don’t benefit anyone, while harming everyone,” Pupovac said.

“This year we will dedicate ourselves to that,” he pledged. “We believe that in our government and the governments of the neighbouring countries, we will encounter not just open interlocutors, but serious and committed partners.”

“We will also be dedicated to pulling ourselves out of the quagmire of our Serbian-Croatian, and on this day I will say Catholic-Orthodox, historical topics,” he said.

None of those topics should be underestimated or neglected, he said, listing topics related to the experiences from the former joint state, World War II and NDH (Independent State of Croatia), or the tragic break-up of the Yugoslavia and war, Pupovac said.

The danger to the future of “each of us, each of our peoples” should be underestimated even less “if we continue to interpret moving in the quicksand of our past as progress,” he added.

“Yes to re-examining the past, but no to renewing historical evil or celebrating it,” Pupovac concluded.