Addressing leaders of the Croat National Council (HNV) at their headquarters in Subotica, Pupovac said the purpose of the visit was to show solidarity considering difficulties in the process of constitution of the Croat minority in Serbia, discuss experience in the exercise of minority rights and contribute to creating a positive atmosphere in Croatia and Serbia.
"We want to work towards becoming members of the common European house one day," Pupovac said, offering the HNV concrete assistance in solving the problem of accommodation of the umbrella body of Serbian Croats, and in re-introducing a Croatian language TV programme.
HNV leaders said they did not think that the status of Serbian Croats was impossible to regulate because as loyal citizens they expected to be able to exercise their guaranteed minority rights.
Stressing that the number of anti-Croat incidents in Serbia was decreasing, HNV leader Josip Pekanovic condemned attacks on the Serb minority in Croatia.
Speaking about the importance of meetings between Croat and Serb minority representatives, Pekanovic said that such meetings sent messages of good faith which he expected to be welcomed in Croatia and Serbia.
The Serbian Prime Minister's advisor on national minorities, Petar Ladjevic, said today's meeting was part of new trends in relations between the two countries and that the two minorities could significantly contribute with their activities to building ties in the area of the former Yugoslavia.
Before visiting the HNV offices, the Democratic Alliance of Vojvodina Croats and self-government bodies in Subotica, the Croatian Serb delegation held talks with municipal leaders and representatives of Croat associations from the neighbouring town of Sombor.