Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Gordan Grlić Radman on Tuesday received the heads of the Alliance of Associations of Families of Detained and Missing Croatian Soldiers, President Ljiljana Alvir and Vice-President Jasna Jug.
The talks focused on resolving one of the most difficult issues concerning the Homeland War – more than 25 years after it ended, Croatia is still looking for 1869 missing persons. Moreover, still unresolved is the issue of compensation to the Croatian soldiers and civilians detained in the numerous camps in Serbia, Montenegro and parts of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Grlić Radman informed Alvir and Jug about his recent talks with Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić in Petrovaradin, during which he had underscored that shedding light on the fate of the missing Croatian citizens and recognizing the material and immaterial rights of all unlawfully detained persons was one of the key issues for the normalization of the two countries’ relations. With a view to that, Grlić Radman and Vučić agreed to intensify the meetings of the relevant state bodies.
In addition, Grlić Radman underlined that shedding light on the missing persons and resolving the rights of the detained Croatian soldiers was one of the Croatian Government’s political priorities. He also stressed that it was a moral obligation towards all who, for the freedom of the Croatian people and Croatia’s independence, had given their most valuable asset – life and wellbeing.
Finally, the minister thanked the heads of the Alliance of Associations of Families of Detained and Missing Croatian Soldiers for their engagement in resolving these difficult issues, underscoring that the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs was always open to any form of support for their initiatives.