The Croatian Minister of Foreign and European Affairs, Vesna Pusic, met with Serbian Foreign Minister Ivan Mrkic on the margins of a UN General Assembly meeting in New York on Monday.
The two ministers identified three groups of topics which the two governments considered interesting and important.
The first group concerns problems relating to the past, notably outstanding issues arising from the wars of the 1990s, Pusic told reporters, adding that efforts would be made to find ways of dealing with those issues systematically.
The second group of issues relate to economic cooperation when Croatia joins the European Union on July 1 next year and at the same time leaves the Central European Free Trade Agreement (CEFTA). Pusic said that it was in the interests of both countries to facilitate their economic cooperation as much as possible.
The third group of issues concern the two countries' common future within the European Union and the need to assume responsibility for stabilising the region. Pusic said that there was a possibility of cooperation in cross-border projects that would help improve the quality of life on both sides of the border.
Mrkic said that there would be regular consultations between the two governments in dealing with specific issues.
This was the first time the two ministers had met. "My feeling is that we will cooperate well," Pusic said.
