Serbia-Croatia Refugee Dispute Escalates Into Trade War

Serbia and Croatia on Thursday both closed their borders to each other's freight traffic, and to some passenger traffic, as the two countries exchanged accusations over the influx of refugees.

After Croatia closed most border crossings with Serbia last week, Serbian authorities at midnight Wednesday introduced a counter-blockade on freight coming from Croatia.

Nebojsa Stefanovic, Serbia's Interior Minister, said that no trucks with Croatian license plates or the vehicles carrying Croatian goods could enter Serbia.

Passenger traffic from Croatia will be allowed in out normally, Stefanovic added.

"We are not happy about this but these measures were introduced to protect our national interest? What Serbia wants is European values to be respected, and that is open borders," Stefanovic said at the Batrovci border crossing with Croatia.

Croatia then responded by closing its borders to all Serbian vehicles, both cargo and passenger transport.

The Zagreb-based daily Vecernji list cited Croatian Interior Minister Ranko Ostojic as saying that the borders with Serbia would remain closed to all vehicles with Serbian license plates, until Serbia starts sending some of the refugees back towards Hungary.

Serbian Justice minister Nikola Selakovic said that Croatia had brutally violated the idea of freedom of movement.

Croatia has faced a large influx of the refugees coming from Serbia since last week since Hungary closed its borders to Serbia.

Croatia then closed border crossings with Serbia, which alarmed Serbian officials who said their economy would suffer significant damage if the blockade continued.

Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic has written to European officials saying that Croatia, as an EU...