Balkan blockade: Serbia bans cross-border trucks from Croatian as refugee row triggers old enmity

Serbia has banned Croatian cargo traffic and goods in a bitter row over the flow of migrants across their joint border, plunging relations to their lowest ebb since the overthrow of late Serbian strongman Slobodan Milosevic in 2000.

Serbia imposed the embargo on Wednesday in retaliation for border restrictions levied by European Union member Croatia, which has hit out at its eastern neighbour for directing the flow of migrants through the Balkan peninsula over their joint border.

Zagreb had banned all trucks but those carrying perishable goods from entering from Serbia and shut seven of eight road border crossings, saying Serbia should direct the migrants to Hungary and Romania too.

As a midnight deadline set by Serbia for Croatia to lift the blockade expired, Belgrade said it was left with no choice but to “introduce measures to protect its statehood”.

“From this moment, the Serbian police will not allow the entry through any border crossing any cargo vehicle registered in Croatia nor any truck carrying goods made in Croatia,” Serbian Interior Minister Nebojsa Stefanovic told reporters on the Serbian-Croatian border.