ZAGREB: The presidents of Croatia and Serbia on Monday admitted that ties between the former foes were still frosty due to past events and pledged to improve them.
"Unfortunately, relations between Serbia and Croatia are still burdened with history ... still preventing us from describing the ties between the states as friendly," Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic told reporters.
Her Serbian counterpart Alexandar Vucic echoed her view, saying that "Serbia and Croatia will ... need to have much better relations in future."
"We want to build the best possible relations" with Croatia, he said, stressing the importance of good ties between them for the whole Balkan region.
Vucic arrived in Croatia on Monday for a two-day visit, the first by a Serbian head of state since 2010.
The relationship between the two former Yugoslav republics has gradually improved since Croatia's 1990s independence war, in which Belgrade backed rebel Serbs.
But ties remain fragile, with the two sides continuing to trade accusations over war crimes committed during the 1991-1995 conflict as well as World War II.
The two presidents said they discussed a border dispute, minority rights and the fate of more than 1,900 people still missing from the 1990s war.
"We did not agree on many issues. On some we got closer, on some we will get closer in the coming months," Grabar-Kitarovic said.
The presidents also said the border issue on the Danube river should be solved within the next two years -- and if it is not, it should be put before international arbitration.
Two small protests were held in Zagreb against Vucic's visit, organised by war veterans and a small far-right party.
Some 400 people gathered at Zagreb's main square, calling Vucic a "Chetnik criminal", a reference to a notorious World War II Serbian nationalist movement and the president's ultranationalist politics in the 1990s.
"I'm not a Chetnik, no one in my family was a Chetnik," Vucic told reporters.
Media reports in both countries also reflected tensions ahead of the visit.
"The Ustasha are hysterical over Vucic's visit," read the front-page headline of Serbia's pro-Vucic tabloid Informer, referring to Croatia's WWII Nazi-allied regime.
"All the media in Zagreb are calling for violent protests and a new war," the newspaper claimed.
Croatia and Serbia leaders admit frosty ties
Croatia and Serbia leaders admit frosty ties
Indonesia to buy Indian-Russian missile system for coastal defense
- BrahMos missile is one of world’s fastest supersonic cruise missiles
- Indonesian government has been working to upgrade its aging military hardware
JAKARTA: Indonesia has agreed to purchase a supersonic missile system from a Russian-Indian company to strengthen security on its coastline, the Ministry of Defense confirmed on Tuesday.
The BrahMos missile is one of the world’s fastest supersonic cruise missiles. It can reach speeds of Mach 2.8, or nearly three times the speed of sound, and be launched from submarines, ships, aircraft or land.
It was developed by BrahMos Aerospace, a joint venture between the Indian military research and development agency DRDO and Russian weapons manufacturer NPO Mashinostroyeniya.
“Indonesia has partnered with India to strengthen our defense technology and industry,” Rico Ricardo Sirait, spokesperson for the Indonesian Defense Ministry, told Arab News on Tuesday.
“This includes (the procurement of) the BrahMos missile system to beef up our coastal defense, as part of efforts to modernize our weaponry.”
He declined to disclose more information about the deal.
Indonesia, the world’s largest archipelagic state with around 18,000 islands and over 7.9 million sq. km of sea, is the latest Southeast Asian nation to acquire the weapons.
In 2022, the Philippines closed a $374 million deal to acquire three BrahMos anti-ship missile batteries, while Vietnam has reportedly been in talks to purchase the weapons system.
Jakarta has been working to upgrade the country’s aging military hardware in recent years, setting aside big budgets for defense spending.
In January, three Rafale fighter jets arrived in Pekanbaru, Riau, from France, marking the first batch of deliveries of a multi-billion-dollar defense deal between the two countries. The next batch is expected to reach Indonesia later this year.
Last year, Indonesia and Turkiye signed a number of defense deals, including an agreement to set up a jointly operated drone factory and the purchase of KAAN fighter jets.
