ZAGREB, January 30, 2018 – For Slovenia, Croatia is a neighbour, friend and partner in the European Union and NATO, but Slovenia cannot renounce the arbitration ruling which finally resolved the border dispute between the two countries through a compromise, Slovenian President Borut Pahor said on Tuesday at a traditional reception for foreign diplomats accredited to Ljubljana.
“The arbitration ruling gave neither Slovenia nor Croatia what they demanded, but it is a compromise that we can live with. Even more importantly, this compromise allows us to develop our partnership and friendship in the future,” the Slovenian president said in his address to foreign diplomats in the mountain resort of Brdo Pri Kranju. “Unfortunately, Croatia does not recognise the arbitration ruling, while Slovenia cannot and will not renounce it because there are no real or legal grounds for that,” he added.
Pahor noted that the Slovenians and Croatians had never been at war in the past, which should continue, and expressed hope that the European Commission would get more actively involved in ensuring that the arbitration ruling was implemented.
In order to reach a solution to the dispute and implement the arbitration ruling, bilateral dialogue is required at all levels in order to maintain the high degree of overall cooperation, as well as the involvement of the European Commission, Pahor said, adding that he expected a lot from a forthcoming meeting of the Commission president with the two prime ministers.
Speaking of the arbitration and its implementation, Pahor said that it was a matter of upholding the rule of law in the European Union and that in that regard the use of arbitration could be used in the future in relations between member states.
Slovenia will implement the arbitration ruling wherever it can, but will refrain from escalating the situation and causing incidents, Pahor said. Slovenia has “both international law and the international community in general” on its side and will insist on implementing the arbitration ruling “even if that takes a long time.”
Until the arbitration ruling is fully implemented, Slovenia and Croatia should find a way through comprehensive dialogue to “develop a formula for a co-existence that will enable good neighbourly cooperation.”
Also in his address, Pahor emphasised that Slovenia wanted good relations with all the countries in the world and with its neighbours, and that the country would maintain political stability after this year’s parliamentary elections.
He reiterated his country’s support to the Western Balkans countries on their path to Euro-Atlantic integration, but expressed concern about instability, notably in Bosnia and Herzegovina, adding that he believed this was also a matter of concern for all other European countries.
