The war lasted four years and the peace has been on for seventeen. Is there any good outcome of this peace between Croatia and Serbia?
First of all, we have established diplomatic relations and I remember the time when we had none. Second, we have established economic relations so national interests prevailed over collective emotions in case of both sides. Then, everybody realized that we are responsible for the way we live our lives and that nobody else can fix or improve this if we cannot do it ourselves. There is also the awareness that the prosperity of the region can be obtained only by securing the stability of that entire region, because it is clear that one side cannot prosper at the expense of others who would fall into a pit or remain in complete chaos. Progress cannot be made in an unstable environment. One entire generation has grown without knowing exactly what to think about the subject. That may have some positive potential, but also carries a risk. I refer to younger generations who collect only ready-made phrases and prepared judgments, without better knowledge of the genesis of the war and everything that happened. This may be seen as a potential for countries in the region to be pulled out of economic and political situations they have been in, particularly until the past few years, but it could potentially cause the building of the future on false images and adopted stereotypes according to which these societies do not know each other any longer.
Which factors will influence the prevalence between these two potentials?
Most crucial factor is communication skills, but there are also the actions of political elites who are able to take responsibility and pull both countries out of the crisis. Poverty is a very strong generator of hostility. In the domestic crisis situations, filtering this hostility outside is a way of dealing with that crisis, at least psychologically.
Speaking of that, how do you look at the problem of Serbia and Kosovo?
It is a quite illustrative situation for the times to come. The generations and people who are now conducting the politics in Serbia are mostly not responsible for the politics that Milosevic led toward Kosovo. But time has shown that there is no escape from the bad politics that has been implemented in the past and it is a common rule that innocent sides always bear the consequences of bad politics of their predecessor.
Will Croatia block Serbian way to EU?
No. We have to mutually solve our problems and if there is any conclusion to be drawn out of this entire process that is the advantage of having neighbors who function under the same rules and similar laws as you are.
What about the withdrawal of genocide lawsuits?
If we are able to resolve the issue of the indicted war criminals, missing persons and stolen property by means of an inter-state agreement, then we can put it on the agenda and begin to discuss that possibility. If not, then we should not talk about it at all.
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