Minister Grlić Radman: Serbia must meet requirements from key chapters

Foreign Minister Gordan Grlić Radman said on Monday Croatia felt that opening chapters on the green agenda and connectivity could be an incentive for Serbia, but for further progress it would have to meet the requirements from the chapters on the judiciary, human rights, freedom and security.

On Tuesday, at an intergovernmental conference on EU accession, Serbia will open negotiations in the fourth cluster, which covers chapters on the transport policy, energy, and environmental protection.

"Opening those chapters could be an incentive, but also an obligation for Serbia to meet the requirements for the next clusters and chapters," said Grlić Radman.

For further progress, however, Serbia must deal with war crimes, the war missing, and the status of national minorities, he added.

"It's high time Serbia started prosecuting war crimes, started an investigation into the missing, of whom there are still 1,858, and ensuring minority rights. Those are fundamental areas and it's not just a bilateral issue, it concerns the European acquis as well. We are not satisfied with the status of the Croatian community in Serbia."

Montenegro enjoys Croatia's full support

As for Montenegro, which is neither opening nor closing any cluster this time, Grlić Radman said Croatia fully supported it. "It's in our interest that Montenegro go towards the European Union. I think meeting the criteria from chapters 23 and 24 (judiciary and fundamental rights) should not be in question for Montenegro."

Necessary to view BiH as a sovereign and integral country

Grlić Radman said he doubted the EU would reach a consensus on imposing sanctions against Bosnian Serb leader Milorad Dodik, as advocated by German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock.

"Croatia advocates dialogue. It's in our interest to insist on dialogue, to convince all leaders that it's necessary to view and experience Bosnia and Herzegovina as a sovereign and integral country, and that there's no room for any separatism," Grlić Radman said.

Baerbock today took part in a Foreign Affairs Council meeting for the first time in her term and said the efforts to break up BiH were unacceptable and that she lobbied for the existing regime of sanctions to be used against Dodik.

"No one insisted on sanctions in a majority format in the sense that all countries agreed. It was more of a testing of member states' opinions and mood," said Grlić Radman.

He said he and Baerbock met on the fringes of the meeting for talks on the Croatian-German relations and the Western Balkans.

Text: Hina/MFEA

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