The Brioni Agreement was initially established to halt hostilities between the Yugoslav People's Army (JNA) and the newly independent republics of Croatia and Slovenia in July 1991. Despite the temporary ceasefire and the hope it represented, the underlying issues of ethnic tensions and national identity continued to fester. As the agreement expired, Croatia and Slovenia faced increasing pressures to assert their sovereignty and distance themselves from the political structure of Yugoslavia. Both republics had held referendums earlier in the year, in which their populations overwhelmingly supported independence from Yugoslavia, highlighting the growing divide and desire for self-determination. On October 8, 1991, the expiration of the Brioni Agreement marked a definitive decision by both nations to formally break all diplomatic ties with the Yugoslav government, which was increasingly viewed as an adversary. This monumental move signaled the solidification of their independence aspirations and was met with mixed reactions from the federal government in Belgrade, which was in the midst of political turmoil and military backlash.