In the last two days the joint commission have inspected monasteries and churches in the two counties and found that the artefacts can be returned and that their return will start by the end of the year, said Croatian Assistant Culture Minister Branka Sulc, one of the chairpersons of the commission.
The artefacts to be returned include valuable icons, municipal books and land registers.
Most of the cultural treasure that was stolen during the Serbian aggression on Croatia in the first half of the 1990s is being kept in Vojvodina and Belgrade. Asked who would cover the costs of conservation of the artefacts, the two countries' officials said the costs would be covered by the Culture Ministry of Serbia and Montenegro.
The commission also accepted a proposal by Serb Orthodox Bishop Lukijan to establish a museum within the Serb Orthodox Church in Croatia to display religious cultural artefacts from Orthodox churches in Slavonia and Baranja which were no longer being used.
Vladimir Tomcic, who chairs the commission on behalf of Serbia and Montenegro, expressed satisfaction with the cooperation with Croatian officials.
Apart from the cultural artefacts to be returned to the Serb Orthodox Church, artefacts are also being claimed by the Town Museum in Vukovar, the Zagreb Archaeological Museum, the Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in Rijeka, and the Jasenovac Memorial Park.