Posted on 05/03/2013 12:25:13 AM PDT by Cronos
In 1991 Croatia was in flames. Montenegrin troops from the Yugoslav army were bombarding the historic city of Dubrovnik and, with its backing, rebel Croatian Serbs were carving out one-third the country.
One day, the rebel Serbs hoped, the areas of Croatia they controlled would become part of a Greater Serbia
The following year Croatia was helping Bosnian Croats fight Bosnian Serbs and later Muslim Bosniaks.
The Yugoslav wars cost tens of thousands of lives and made refugees of millions.
And yet today, the region has been transformed and on 1 July Croatia will enter the European Union.
Symbolic of the change perhaps are two photos, which have been in the Balkan press and on social media recently.
One shows a happy-looking pair travelling together on a coach. They are Croatian Foreign Minister Vesna Pusic and her opposite number from neighbouring Montenegro, Igor Luksic.
They were both in London on their way to the funeral of Lady Thatcher.
The second picture shows a young couple kissing. The boy is draped in a Serbian flag and his girlfriend in a Croatian one. The photo was taken in Mostar, in Bosnia-Hercegovina, during a school parade.
Today, while no one has forgotten the enthusiastic participation of Montenegrin troops in the attack on Dubrovnik, relations with Croatia could not be better
Croatia's relationship with Serbs and Serbia has been long and tortuous. The two languages are very close. Croats are mostly Catholics and Serbs Orthodox. Croats write with the Latin alphabet. Serbs use both that and Cyrillic
Serbs in Croatia now play a significant role.
In the last government a Serbian party was part of the ruling coalition, while today several Serbs are ministers or in prominent roles.
Croatian music is popular in Serbia, and Serbs have returned to holiday in Croatia...
(Excerpt) Read more at bbc.co.uk ...
When Croatia joins the EU a new line, that of the Union's external border, will change the Balkan map.
But, as Mrs Pusic put it in a recent interview, that does not mean that Croatia will have less to do with its former Yugoslav neighbours.
"The way I see it," she says, "yes, we are entering the EU but we are not moving anywhere. Look at the geography and demographics.
"Our stability depends on the stability of the region and that depends on our capacity to contribute and we can contribute to the stability of our region. That is our European task."
I am sure its all peace and puppies now
These countries are thinking of all the freebies they can have with unlimited debt spending and German/IMF bailouts.
Not really, Geron. Croatia has tightened it’s economy. Listen to the recent interview with the Croatian President about how they support austerity measures, having practised it.
“These countries are thinking of all the freebies they can have with unlimited debt spending and German/IMF bailouts.”
I doubt that (at this point); the countries where people don’t retire at 35 have made it clear that those days are over. I don’t think Croatia realizes how much influence the EU will have on their trade arrangements, though.
I think when you have people will some common ground (similar language and religions), then I can see them looking past minor differences when dealing with a common threat (Islam) next door. In my town the mostly Catholic Irish have made a similar peace with the mostly Protestant Scots because they have more in common than either would with the influx of Asians and Hispanics; 40 years ago (when my town was mostly Irish and Scottish) these two groups had their own bars and clubs, and didn’t mix much at all.
I think they finally realized their greatest threat is the muslims...
In 1998 while the country was still unified I took my mother to Salzburg and then drove into Yugoslavia to Bled (Slovenia), a midieval alpine town on a lake, then we drove out to and down the Adriatic coast about 13 hours to Dubrovnik and stayed 4 days there before driving back up the coast to Venice.
Dubrovnik and Venice were rival port (trade) cities, where Dubrovnik was fortified and Venice was not.
In 1998 while the country was still unified I took my mother to Salzburg and then drove into Yugoslavia to Bled (Slovenia), a midieval alpine town on a lake, then we drove out to and down the Adriatic coast about 13 hours to Dubrovnik and stayed 4 days there before driving back up the coast to Venice.
Dubrovnik and Venice were rival port (trade) cities, where Dubrovnik was fortified and Venice was not.
Meant to say 1988...my how time flies!
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