"There are many outstanding issues between us, and I hope that we will know how to develop good relations with a pragmatic and rational approach," the Serbian official told a Belgrade-based commercial television ahead of his trip to Croatia.

Vucic said it was better to tak and try solve problems than leave them unresolved.

"Definitely, we will never agree on many things, regarding the past, but we must build our joint future in the region, and this is important both to the citizens of Serbia and to the citizens of Croatia," the Serbian official said.

He expects his country and Croatia to participate in joint ventures in third markets, for instance.

Asked why Croatian President Ivo Josipovic had nothing against meeting him but did not want to meet Serbia's President Tomislav Nikolic, Vucic said the Croatian head of state did not refuse to meet Nikolic.

"Josipovic and Nikolic will see each other in a month's time (in Zagreb) on the occasion of Croatia's accession to the European Union," Vucic said.

Vucic's host in Zagreb will be Croatian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Vesna Pusic, and he will also be received by President Josipovic and Prime Minister Zoran Milanovic and other government ministers,

Vucic, the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) leader, is the highest-ranking Serbian official to come to Zagreb since the current Serbian government took office in July last year.