"The relations between Croatia and Serbia are at their best since independence given that, in the true sense of the word, they are working relations. On both sides, we are trying to define the topics that need solving and find very practical and normal ways to do so," Pusic said in Wednesday's issue, adding that Croatian President Ivo Josipovic's recent "good and important" visit to Serbia had advanced bilateral relations.
She said the genocide lawsuits the two countries filed against each other were the biggest burden on the relations. "That's a topic from the past which involves human destinies, especially when we talk about the missing. I would like it if we managed to solve that, we would be making a politically responsible move."
"However, as regards Croatia, for us to even start thinking about talks on the withdrawal of the suits, we first have to solve the issue of missing persons, the restitution of works of art, and war crimes trials. The missing are crucial here. All else, when it comes to our relations, we can deal with," Pusic was quoted as saying, adding that both countries wanted to solve this issue bilaterally so that they did not have to go to court.
For Croatia, the issue of the war missing is the main problem in the relations, while for Serbia, it is pensions, refugee status and giving back tenancy rights to refugees.
"I think it's legitimate to create a clear picture, which we now really don't have, about the pensions people seek. Also, we have to definitively clear up the issue of tenancy rights and the right to housing, although Croatia has solved this in principle, as well as the recognition of the years of service to those who once worked in Croatia and are now in Serbia," Pusic said, adding that those topics had no "regular solving mechanisms" so progress was "quite uneven."
Regarding Cyrillic signs in the eastern Croatian town of Vukovar, she said it was about "the process of a community's political maturation and the Croatian government has stood very clearly behind this right and law enforcement." She added that the issue became emotionally very charged because of the economic crisis.
Although the tariffs on Croatian cigarette exports to Serbia were to have been changed with Croatia's European Union accession on July 1, the European Commission has enabled Croatia to maintain the previous cigarette trade volume, with the annual quota of 1,625 tonnes exported to Serbia at a tariff rate of 15 per cent instead of the 56.7 per cent which Serbia applies to other EU cigarette imports.
Regarding that, Pusic said "nobody gave anyone anything. When such an adjustment happens, it always seems unusual at first (but) this is regular procedure. It doesn't refer only to Croatia, but it's natural that neighbours will be the most interested. If one is entering the Union, one must respect the rules it has set. Traditional trade is one of them."
Croatia has no interest in halting Serbia's EU integration, as Slovenia did to Croatia, and the border issue will be solved bilaterally, Pusic said, adding that Croatia would help Serbia on its journey to membership.
"We are already cooperating. Our people are already working as consultants in the Serbian government and a whole range of topics, including the harmonisation of some policies within the region, shows that we see those issues in a similar way."
Pusic also said that for Croatia, Kosovo was not the most important subject in Serbia's EU entry talks, "but it is very important because the normalisation of relations means the stabilisation of the region, in which we are very interested."
"Because of our own and the European public, it would be better to deal with some delicate issues at the start to show that you are capable of dealing with them," Pusic said.