Today, at the National Assembly House, the Chairmen of the European Integrations Committee and Foreign Affairs Committee, Laszlo Varga and Prof. Dr Dragoljub Micunovic respectively, met separately with a delegation of the Sabor (Parliament) of the Republic of Croatia, headed by Neven Mimica, Sabor Deputy Speaker.

The officials agreed that the intensive inter-parliamentary contacts between the two countries have initiated a new stage in the relations between Serbia and Croatia, adding that parliamentary cooperation should continue to contribute to strengthen the two countries’ overall relations. Parliamentarians should discuss topics of mutual interest, primarily European Union accession, which is a shared priority. Creating the conditions for the development of good-neighbourly relations and institutional cooperation should contribute to the solution of the open questions between the two countries, such as state borders, return of the refugees, restitution and other.

Neven Mimica, Sabor Deputy Speaker and European Integration Committee Chairman, stated that Croatia is in the last stage of negotiations with the European Union, and that by EU accession, Croatia takes responsibility for the stability and prosperity of the South-Eastern European region. He emphasised that Croatia and Serbia share a particular responsibility for the situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The Croatian parliamentarians expect that the EU will deblock the SAA with Serbia, which is also in Croatia’s interest, and that Serbia’s progress toward the EU will be faster than Croatia’s has been in the past eight years.

European Integrations Committee Chairman Laszlo Varga pointed out that Croatia sharing its EU accession experience would be welcome, and that the National Assembly would soon adopt new Rules of Procedure which will enable a speedier adoption of laws from the so-called European agenda.

European Integrations Committee members Jelena Trivan, Donka Banovic and Milos Jevtic expressed an expectation that neighbouring Croatia, as a future new EU member, would help Serbia tackle the considerable tasks ahead.

Greeting the Croatian guests, Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Dragoljub Micunovic pointed out the need to increase economic cooperation between the two countries, as well as cooperation in the spheres of culture, higher education and other.

On the behalf of the Serbian side, the meeting was attended by Gordana Comic, Nada Kolundzija, Natasa Vuckovic and Nikola Lazic, who, inter alia, pointed out that the development of good-neighbourly relations with Croatia was a priority for Serbia not only because of bilateral relations, but due to the need to further regional cooperation as well.

The Croatian parliamentary delegation comprised Frano Matusic, Foreign Policy Committee Chairman and Tonino Picula, Foreign Policy Committee member, Vesna Pusic, Chairperson of the National Committee for Monitoring Accession Negotiations between Croatia and the EU and Milorad Pupovac, Inter-parliamentary Cooperation Committee Chairman. The meetings were attended by Zeljko Kupresak, Croatian Ambassador to Serbia.