Zagreb, (MINA) - Croatia expects Montenegro to urgently resolve the issue of property restitution for Croatian families, Croatian Foreign Minister Gordan Grlic Radman said.

In a press release issued following a meeting with representatives of families from Tivat at Banski dvori, he said that while Croatia will continue to support Montenegro on its European path, it expects concrete steps in addressing open issues affecting the Croatian community.

Grlic Radman said that the representatives of 51 families from Tivat, Krsto Boskovic and Vinko Marovic, warned about the long-term delays in the restitution of their property, including registration in the cadastre and enforcement of legally binding court decisions.

“We expect Montenegro to approach this issue seriously, responsibly and without further delays”, Grlic Radman said, the Index portal reports.

He said that the fact that similar issues had already been resolved in some cases involving other nationalities is of particular concern, calling it discrimination.

Grlic Radman emphasized that Croatia will continue to support Montenegro’s European path, but that “at the same time, it expects concrete steps forward in resolving open issues affecting the Croatian community”.

President of the Croatian Civil Initiative (HGI) Adrian Vuksanovic, speaking after Grlic Radman, agreed that property restitution is a matter of fundamental human rights and thanked Croatia for its support.