The Western Balkan countries are turning their back on the ethnic wars of the 1990s and have started rebuilding regional ties, important for their road to European Union membership, Croatian President Ivo Josipovic told Reuters on Monday.
Until this spring, the countries of the former Yugoslavia were seen as locked in historic rivalries, but a series of regional meetings has brought new hope to the impoverished region, once dubbed the black hole of Europe, says Reuters.
"There have been important changes ... There have been several warming-up initiatives. After all, I have set this as a priority of my foreign policy," Josipovic said in the interview a day before Croatia and Serbia were due to sign a landmark agreement on military cooperation.
"For me, this (agreement) is a serious sign of normalisation and a good prospect for the future," said Josipovic.
He said the region was still fraught with problems such as reconciliation, rebuilding of trust and trade, return of refugees, protection of minorities and unresolved borders.
"This cannot be solved overnight, but what matters is that the process has started, that there is good will," he said.
Reuters says Croatia is well on its way to becoming an EU member, possibly in 2012, and quotes Josipovic as saying that Croatia is making serious efforts to reform its judiciary and public administration, but it will take time.
"We all know, and the EU knows, that a reform of the judiciary and administration is not a one-time act. It's a process and I think what they expect is to see progress in this
process."
"I am optimistic. I think Croatia can conclude its entry talks by the end of the year, or early next year ... Having said that, we are aware of the need for reforms and reforms will continue," Josipovic was quoted as saying.
