Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic's visit to Subotica, where he will attend the opening of the Croatian House, is primarily a message to the Croat community in Serbia that Croatia stands by them, Foreign Minister Gordan Grlic Radman said on Saturday.

“It is an important message of support to the Croat community that Croatia and its government stand by it,” the minister said, adding that high-ranking Serbian officials, including Prime Minister Ana Brnabic, were expected to attend the event but that there was no scheduled meeting with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic.

“What we will insist on is that the Croat community be actually represented in the Serbian parliament, just as the Serb minority is represented in the Croatian parliament,” said Grlic Radman, noting that Croatia was raising issues in relations with Serbia.

“We cannot ignore some issues that are of vital importance. First of all, we want answers about (the fate of) 1,812 persons gone missing (in the 1991-95 Homeland War). There is also the issue of compensation for (wartime) prison camp inmates, the restitution of the archive material…”

Plenkovic will visit Subotica on 23 June at the invitation of the president of the Croatian National Council (HNV), Jasna Vojnic, and the president of the Democratic Alliance of the Vojvodina Croats (DSHV), Tomislav Žigmanov, who is also the Minister for Human and Minority Rights of Serbia.

The Croatian prime minister is scheduled to meet with Serbian PM Ana Brnabic in Subotica.

This is Plenkovic’s first visit to Serbia during his term in office. The Croatian PM said his talks with Brnabic will focus on “all topics concerning bilateral relations.”

Minister Grlic Radman made the statement while attending the event “Days of the Alka Tournament”, taking place in Baden near Vienna under the auspices of the Croatian government.

“This event is a true historical-cultural spectacle and means a lot to the town of Sinj, the Cetinska Krajina region, Split-Dalmatia County and Croatia and Croats because the Sinjska Alka chivalric tournament has been on UNESCO’s list of intangible cultural heritage since 2010. It is a major Croatian brand,” Grlic Radman said.