Serbia's Prime Minister Ivica Dacic expects to meet with his Croatian counterpart Zoran Milanovic in the first half of this year as their meeting is in the interest of both countries, the Belgrade broadcaster RTV B92 reported on Wednesday.
"I think it is extremely important to do something so that we don't go too far in distancing ourselves which is not in our interest. It is in our interest to have proper relations and cooperation. I expect a meeting with Milanovic in the first half of the year", Dacic said in an interview with B92.
Croatia's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Vesna Pusic on Monday told the Serbian daily Dnevnik that preparations were underway for the two prime ministers to meet and that relations were "heading in the right direction".
"The purpose of the meeting will be to take a positive step and not just a good photograph for the press", Pusic said, without specifying when the meeting could be held.
Commenting on a recent statement by Dacic that an "ice age" had set in between Zagreb and Belgrade, she said that cooperation existed between the two countries but that this was not always obvious to the wider public.
Serbian Foreign Minister Ivan Mrkic, appearing on RTS television on Wednesday, confirmed that preparations were being made for the meeting. He added that since taking office he had met with his Croatian counterpart on two occasions and that they had good talks about a number of topics.
