IN THE PRESENCE OF DAČIĆ Plenković: Croatia was a victim of the Milošević regime

SARAJEVO, (Patria) - The traditional reception of the Serb National Council on the occasion of Orthodox Christmas, "Christ is born - Truly He is born!", attended by Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković, Serbian Minister of Foreign Affairs Ivica Dačić and numerous other high dignitaries from political and public life, was held in Zagreb.

Prime Minister of the Republic of Croatia Andrej Plenković in his address wished a happy Orthodox Christmas Eve, assessing the atmosphere as good, with the need to build additional tolerance and equality in Croatian society and a generational contribution to reconciliation. He recalled the difficult previous period "in which Croatia was a victim of the Milošević regime".

- That fact lives with us, lives with the families of the missing and killed, soldiers, veterans and civilians. That legacy is difficult and realistically burdens the relations between Croatia and Serbia. It is a fact that we must all manage together in a way that improves our relations, based on truth and real steps of apology and reconciliation. It is important that we understand these facts and do not ignore something that is between us - said Plenković, as reported by Anadolu.

Prosecution of war crimes

He added that his Government will do everything to find the missing and prosecute war crimes that do not become statute-barred, but also to build bridges of cooperation, despite the political damage he as a politician must bear, he said. Plenković warned of the current aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine and stated that Croatia, by siding with Ukraine, had chosen the right side of history.

He welcomed the fact that the Croatian minority in Serbia received a new status with the appointment of Tomislav Žigmanov to the position of Minister for Human and Minority Rights and Social Dialogue in the Government of Serbia.

Ivica Dačić, First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Government of the Republic of Serbia, said that Croatia and Serbia must find common interests that serve both peoples. He said that the symbolism of Christmas for both Croats and Serbs, although celebrated on different dates, reminds of peace, tolerance and solidarity.

- The best relations between Croatia and Serbia are in the interest of our two peoples, but also of the entire region. Dialogue is the only path to resolving open issues that still, unfortunately, burden us - said Dačić and added that the relations between Zagreb and Belgrade need to be redefined through conversation.

He assessed that some open issues between the two countries cannot be resolved in a short period, but that the prerequisite for this is the normalization of the general political narrative without hidden agendas. Dačić extended sincere congratulations to Croatia on its successful integration into the euro area and Schengen, adding that the success of a neighbor is a shared success. He said it is necessary to suppress hate speech and ethnically motivated attacks in both countries.

- I wish that instead of competing in hatred, we compete in building peace and good relations, that is, that we are ready to resolve all open issues through dialogue in the interest of our citizens. Love is a transient category, as is hatred, and the people are what remains. Let us try to find a common interest even when we do not think the same. Usually, Christmas and Christmas Eve are spent in the company of loved ones. I do not believe we are the closest to each other, but we are where we are and we must live together, and it is only right that we live in peace - concluded Dačić.

Christmas gathering of Serbs

President of the Serb National Council (SNV) Milorad Pupovac recalled that the Christmas gathering of Serbs and their friends in Zagreb, which began 30 years ago, has remained imbued with a peace, anti-war spirit to this day. He assessed that today representatives of Serbs from Croatia and representatives of Croats from Serbia are "drawing a golden bridge between the two states and two peoples". He said that in both countries it is necessary to silence the voices of hatred and the glorification of war criminals.

Serbian Patriarch Porfirije said in his address that man needs to establish a close relationship with God in order to spread universal good. The reception ended with the traditional breaking of the česnica, which was previously blessed by Serbian Patriarch Porfirije.

After the reception, the Serbian and Croatian foreign ministers Ivica Dačić and Gordan Grlić Radman held a meeting.

The reception on the occasion of Orthodox Christmas was attended by Tomislav Žigmanov, Minister for Human and Minority Rights and Social Dialogue in the Serbian Government, Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Croatia for Social Affairs and Human Rights Anja Šimpraga, Croatian Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Gordan Grlić Radman, Minister of Justice and Administration Ivan Malenica, Deputy Mayor of Zagreb Luka Korlaet...