ZAGREB, Jan. 6 (Xinhua) -- Further improving ties between Croatia and Serbia is a primary interest of both countries, visiting Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic said after meeting Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic here on Friday.
"My presence here represents a strong message about the need to talk and redefine the current relations between Belgrade and Zagreb. We do not think alike on many issues, but we must talk and come to an agreement," Dacic said, adding that he visited Zagreb at the initiative of Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic.
Serbia is aware that certain issues cannot be resolved quickly, but both countries recognize the need to improve bilateral relations, Dacic said.
Dacic congratulated Croatia on its entry into the European Union's (EU) border-free Schengen area on Jan. 1. "The individual progress of our neighbors should be seen as our common success," he said.
Plenkovic emphasized the importance of reconciliation, promising to build bridges of solidarity between the two countries and two peoples.
Earlier this week, Serbian media reported that Dacic would pay a low-key but important visit to Croatia on Friday and Belgrade would "defrost" its relations with Croatia this year following a decade of ice-cold ties between the two ex-Yugoslav war foes. The thaw was initiated by Vucic.
Most problems between the two countries stem from the break-up of Yugoslavia, as Croatia declared independence in 1991 but then had to wage a war with its rebel Serb minority, backed by Belgrade, until it crushed the rebellion in the summer of 1995.
