NOVI SAD, May 17 (Hina) - Croatian Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management Minister Petar Cobankovic and his Serbian counterpart Ivana Dulic-Markovic, who held talks on Monday in the city of Novi Sad which was hosting an
international agriculture fair, agreed that it was in interest of both countries to begin implementing the bilateral free trade agreement as of 1 July this year.
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NOVI SAD, May 17 (Hina) - Croatian Agriculture, Forestry and Water
Management Minister Petar Cobankovic and his Serbian counterpart Ivana
Dulic-Markovic, who held talks on Monday in the city of Novi Sad which
was hosting an international agriculture fair, agreed that it was in
interest of both countries to begin implementing the bilateral free
trade agreement as of 1 July this year.#L#
Cobankovic and Dulic-Markovic said that representatives of the two
ministries would meet in Belgrade in the mid-June to agree on the
return of Lippizaner horses which had bene taken from a horse farm in
the Croatian town of Lipik to Serbia during the Homeland Defence War.
It has not yet been established how many horses were taken and where
they were later kept.
The officials of the two countries also agreed that all outstanding
issues should be solved before the application of the bilateral free
trade agreement in the fields of veterinary medicine and regulations
in phytopatology. The veterinary medicine services of the two
countries are expected to sign soon an agreement on cooperation.
Croatia is in favour of the reduction of the number of border
crossings with Serbia-Montenegro from the current eight to three
border crossings for road traffic and one for railway traffic and one
to be selected for goods which must pass veterinary inspections.
Croatian Assistant Agriculture Minister Mate Brstilo said that the
Croatian market would gradually be opened for most sensitive
agricultural and food products.
In the first three months Croatia exported goods worth 8.6 million US
dollars from its agricultural and food-processing sector into
Serbia-Montenegro in the first three months of 2004, while the import
was worth 3.39 million. Croatia's export fell by five percent in
comparison to the first quarter of 2003 while the import from
Serbia-Montenegro climbed by 30 percent.
The 71st International Agriculture Fair, which is taking place in Novi
Sad from 15 to 22 May, has pooled 2,000 exhibitors from about 60
countries, including some 40 Croatian companies.
(Hina) ms