ZAGREB: Croatia sought to ease tensions with its former foe Serbia on Friday after the EU’s powerful executive intervened in a bitter row sparked by Europe’s biggest postwar influx of refugee.

In their worst spat since the 1990s Yugoslavian conflict, the two have been embroiled in tit-for-tat restrictions caused by the human exodus washing through the Balkans bound for northern Europe. Croatia has seen nearly 60,000 new arrivals since last week when Hungary sealed its southern border with Serbia.

Overwhelmed by the sheer numbers, Croatia has closed all but one of its border crossings with Serbia and blamed Belgrade for diverting an unrelenting flow of migrants towards its frontier.