(Hina) - Croatian Foreign Minister Vesna Pusić said in New York on Thursday that Croatia and Serbia, which have mutually closed their borders over a migrant wave, should defuse tensions as soon as possible and start dealing with the current migrant crisis in partnership with the EU and countries like Turkey.
"The problem of refugees should be dealt with in a broader context and over a longer period of time," Pusić said, adding that this was a problem for both countries and would not be solved by their accusing one another.
"It is clear to us that Serbia has no better solution but to bring those refugees to the Croatian border, but it should also be recognised that it is not easy for us to cope with 10,000-12,000 people crossing the border in just one night," she said.
She said that she discussed the global refugee crisis with the president of the UN General Assembly, Mogens Lykketoft, who, she said, "is aware that Croatia treats refugees humanely" but also recognises the huge pressure the situation is causing.
"We agreed that a direct solution should be sought in talks between the EU and Turkey and that the EU as well as the rest of the world, should help countries that have accepted the largest number of refugees - Turkey, Jordan and Lebanon, so that they can financially cope with the situation, and the whole situation can start to improve when the war in Syria is stopped," said Pusić.
"We should use this winter to involve all partners, Europe, the United States and the Russian Federation, as well as some big countries in the region that are Syria and Iraq's neighbours," she said.
Pusić, whom the government in early September nominated as a candidate for the post of UN Secretary-General, said one of the topics of her talks with Lykketoft was also the election of a new Secretary-General.
Pusić will be in New York from September 23 to October 2 to attend the 70th session of the UN General Assembly.