The
Erdut Agreement , officially the
Basic Agreement on the Region of Eastern Slavonia, Baranja and Western Sirmium, was the agreement reached on November 12, 1995 between the authorities of the Republic of Croatia and the local Serb authorities of the Eastern Slavonia, Baranja and Western Syrmia region, regarding the peaceful resolution to the
Croatian War of IndependenceThe Croatian War of Independence was fought from 1991 to 1995 between forces loyal to the government of Croatia—which had declared independence from the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia —and the Serb-controlled Yugoslav People's Army and local Serb forces, with the JNA ending its combat...
in the eastern Croatian regions. It was named after the village it was signed in,
ErdutErdut is a village and a municipality in eastern Croatia. It is located in the Osijek-Baranja County, eastern Slavonia, 37 km east of Osijek. The elevation of the village of Erdut is 158 m...
.
The signers were
Hrvoje ŠarinićHrvoje Šarinić is a Croatian politician.Šarinić was born in Sušak, Rijeka and graduated from the University of Zagreb then-Faculty of Architecture, Construction and Geodesy....
, the former Prime Minister of the
Government of CroatiaThe Government of the Republic of Croatia , commonly abbreviated to Croatian Government , is the main element of the executive branch of government in Croatia. It is led by the President of the Government , commonly abbreviated to premier...
and
Milan MilanovićMilan Milanović is a Serbian professional footballer, currently contracted with Italian Serie A club Siena, on loan from Palermo.-Career:...
, a
local SerbVišeslav of Serbia, a contemporary of Charlemagne , ruled the Županias of Neretva, Tara, Piva, Lim, his ancestral lands. According to the Royal Frankish Annals , Duke of Pannonia Ljudevit Posavski fled, during the Frankish invasion, from his seat in Sisak to the Serbs in western Bosnia, who...
politician representing the self-proclaimed
Republic of Serbian KrajinaThe Republic of Serbian Krajina was a self-proclaimed Serb entity within Croatia. Established in 1991, it was not recognized internationally. It formally existed from 1991 to 1995, having been initiated a year earlier via smaller separatist regions. The name Krajina means "frontier"...
, under instructions from the authorities of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. The witnesses were Peter Galbraith, the ambassador of the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
to Croatia at the time, and
Thorvald StoltenbergThorvald Stoltenberg is a former Norwegian politician. His ancestors stem from Northern Germany and emigrated to Norway in the 17th century. He served as Minister of Defense and Minister of Foreign Affairs in two Labour governments.From 1989 to 1990 he was appointed Norwegian Ambassador to the UN...
, the
United NationsThe United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
intermediary.
The territory of Eastern Slavonia, Baranja and Western Sirmium had previously been controlled by the self-proclaimed
Republic of Serbian KrajinaThe Republic of Serbian Krajina was a self-proclaimed Serb entity within Croatia. Established in 1991, it was not recognized internationally. It formally existed from 1991 to 1995, having been initiated a year earlier via smaller separatist regions. The name Krajina means "frontier"...
, and before that by the SAO Eastern Slavonia, Baranja and Western Syrmia.
It was acknowledged by the
United Nations Security Council Resolution 1023United Nations Security Council Resolution 1023, adopted unanimously on November 22, 1995, after recalling all resolutions on the conflicts in the former Yugoslavia, the Council noted the "Basic Agreement on the Region of Eastern Slavonia, Baranja and Western Sirmium" between the Government of...
, and it paved the way to the establishment of the United Nations Transitional Authority for Eastern Slavonia, Baranja and Western Sirmium.
At the base of this agreement was established
Joint Council of MunicipalitiesJoint Council of Municipalities is a body that aligns the interests of the Serb ethnic community in Eastern Slavonia, Baranja and Western Syrmia in the Osijek-Baranja and Vukovar-Syrmia County, coordinate the law and provides initiatives and proposals to the institutions of government,...
with a Serbian majority population.