ZAGREB, February 9, 2018 – The Belgrade-based association of refugees and displaced persons, Justice, has urged President Aleksandar Vučić to raise the issue of 30,000 confiscated apartments owned by Croatian Serbs during his visit to Zagreb on February 12 and 13.
Noting that reconciliation is not possible “unless the bills have been settled in full,” the association demands restitution of all movable and immovable property.
“Everyone should decide for themselves whether we will love and respect each other as neighbours. But let them give us back our movable and immovable property, let them compensate us all and good luck!” the association said in an open letter to the Serbian president on Friday.
The association’s president, Dragan Sekulović, said that refugees and displaced persons insisted on activating the 1996 agreement on normalisation of relations between Croatia and what was then the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (Serbia and Montenegro), which guaranteed “free and safe return of refugees” and property restitution.
Vučić will be in Croatia on February 12 and 13 at the invitation of Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic. The two delegations are expected to encourage resolution of numerous outstanding issues between the two countries, including missing persons from the 1991-1995 war, the exercise of minority rights by the Serbs in Croatia and the Croats in Serbia, and issues relating to border demarcation, property and pensions.
