The Croatian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has updated its travel recommendations due to the treatment of Croatian citizens in Serbia.

She urged Croatians to be careful and obtain detailed information before traveling.

"It is recommended to postpone all non-essential travel, exercise caution, monitor the current situation and obtain more detailed information before traveling due to the recorded inappropriate and unfounded actions of the Serbian authorities towards Croatian citizens. We advise Croatian citizens to avoid places where large numbers of people gather. In case of need, Croatian citizens have the right to contact the Embassy of Croatia in Serbia at any time. The recommendation to wear masks indoors remains in force in healthcare facilities," the statement said.

We recall that Croatia sent a note of protest to Serbia earlier today, expressing strong protest over the treatment of five Croatian citizens in Serbia.

Five Croatian citizens, representatives of non-governmental organizations who participated in workshops organized by Erste Stiftung in Belgrade, spent a good part of the night with Belgrade police, who eventually expelled them from Serbia yesterday morning and banned them from entering the country for a year, Serbian police announced earlier.

The decision they issued listed "reasons for protecting the security of Serbia and its citizens" as the reason for their expulsion.

Croatian Interior Minister Davor Bozinovic said today, commenting on the detention of five Croatian citizens without any explanation in Belgrade, that it should be considered whether it is currently a good time to travel to Serbia.

"I am not sure that there is any justification or explanation from the Serbian authorities for what happened. If there is no explanation as to why Croatian citizens are being detained, it is legitimate to ask whether all this is a coincidence. Considering that we have recently had several similar events, it is good that the EU institutions in Serbia have also been informed about this," he said.

He stressed that this is not an isolated case and added that it is reasonable and sensible for our citizens to be informed about the possible inconveniences they may experience, especially in areas where protests are taking place.

Minister of Foreign and European Affairs, Gordan Grlić-Radman, stated yesterday that Croatia will inform the European Union delegation in Belgrade about the actions of the Serbian authorities and their behavior that placed Croatian citizens in a humiliating position.