Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic said on Monday that his government was doing a lot to search for people missing in the Homeland War and that Serbia could do even more. He added that the issue had been raised at many bilateral meetings.

Plenkovic made the statement in the eastern city of Vukovar, where he took part in the commemorations marking the Day of Remembrance for the Victims of Vukovar.

Progress in the number of exhumations and identifications

“The government has done a lot, Deputy Prime Minister Tomo Medved and his team have made incredible progress in terms of the number of exhumations and identifications. The amount of information we have received is constantly growing,” Plenkovic told reporters while attending the memorial procession.

“Serbia can of course do more. We have raised this issue at many bilateral meetings, because the information we receive comes from those who know something,” he said when asked if Serbia could do more to help Croatia in the search for those missing in the war.

“We all remember those moments in 1991 and the key message of the almost three months of suffering and defence of Vukovar that the then JNA held up here. Without this heroic, long-lasting and incredible defence of Vukovar, the aggression of Slobodan Milosevic’s Greater Serbian policy against Croatia would have been much worse,” he told reporters.

All parts of Croatia have suffered greatly

He also recalled the memorial events for the victims in the southern town of Skabrnja.

“Yesterday and today, we remember with equal respect the victims of these atrocities and all the victims of Skabrnja and the hinterland of Zadar. All parts of Croatia suffered greatly during the Homeland War,” he said.

All important dates of the Homeland War are commemorated with dignity every year and will continue to be so in the future, Plenkovic said.

“As far as we are concerned, it will be so, and I believe it will be so for everyone else as well. There is a high level of consensus on the Homeland War, the cornerstone of modern, free Croatia. We do not have a consensus on many things, but we do on this point,” he said.