Ministry of Foreign Affairs expresses its deep dissatisfaction with the recommendation of UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to cease refugee status to the refugees from the Republic of Croatia. The decision was made by High Commissioner without consultation with the member states of the UN and despite the strong opposition of the Republic of Serbia as the country with the largest number of refugees from Croatia (41,861).

The Republic of Serbia has repeatedly and at the highest levels in the UN expressed its unequivocal disapproval of the UNHCR initiative for making unsubstantiated and obviously a political decision, as there are not viable solutions to the status of refugees, especially for their sustainable return to Croatia. We pointed out the consequences for the relations in the region, including the implementation of the Regional Housing Program, initiative of four states in the region - Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro, supported by UNHCR, other international organizations and the most important donor countries.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs stresses that, under the rules of the UNHCR, before decision on cessation of refugee status, interested states must be consulted. According to the same rules of UNHCR, the burden of verifying that the fundamental, stable and permanently changed circumstances in the country of origin of refugee, is on the host country.

UNHCR did not only completely ignored its own rules, but, although it is humanitarian agency, ignored the actual situation of refugees from Croatia. Such a unilateral decision is without precedent in the practice of UNHCR, which has always been based on consensus of interested states on issues of such difficulty.

The Republic of Serbia does not accept the recommendation and UNHCR and will continue to provide full protection and assistance to all refugees on its territory by giving, as before, maximum contribution to the creation of durable and sustainable solutions to their situation.

UNHCR will bear responsibility for the consequences of decision on the cessation of refugee status to refugees from Croatia.