Slovene Political Elite Is Blackmailing Croatia

The Republic of Croatia will maintain that disputable issues with Slovenia are solved by international law, Mesic said.

ZAGREB, CROATIA – Croatian President Stjepan Mesic addressed the Croatian public, referring to the current state of relations with the neighbouring Slovenia.

The announcement is as follows:

- Anent the current state of our relations with the neighbouring Republic of Slovenia, i.e. entirely concretely – moves of official Ljubljana which stop our path towards the European Union and threaten to stop our path towards accessing NATO.

This, without the least amount of guilt on our part, two priority goals for Croatian foreign policy were questioned.

There is and can be no doubt of our good intentions. Just like there can be no doubts about our readiness to develop good relations with the Republic of Slovenia, i.e. helping other region countries in accomplishing their European aspirations.

Croatian President Stjepan Mesic

I will remind you once again. Our border dispute, especially concerning the border at sea, has been present since these two countries became independent. At the very beginning of talks on how to solve it, the Slovene party insisted on the solution based on the application of international law. We agreed to it and this is our position today as well.

Unfortunately, the political elite of the neighbouring country assessed that it can abuse its European Union and NATO membership by blackmailing us. In other words – to stop our negotiations with the European Union, if we don’t accept the Slovene position, according to which the border dispute should not be solved according to international law, or before an international court, but with the application of the principle of righteousness, actually – with political agreement.

A new element was added to that yesterday – the doors to a referendum in Slovenia about our membership in the Atlantic organisation were open, despite the fact that Slovenia was among NATO countries which invited us for membership nearly a year ago.

So much of consistency!

The statement of the Slovene Parliament claims certain matters as undisputable, that we, with reason and evidence, challenge. Therefore, we have a dispute over facts – what is and what is not. Such a dispute cannot be solves with a statement from one side, but requires the engagement of a third party, a court. Dismissing the rule of Roman law, according to which facts prove, while the law is deduced from regulations, i.e. a court decided on facts, the Slovene side ignores European traditions which it is so fond of referring to.

So much of Europeanship!

The situation we were brought in, I repeat, not by our own fault, is worrying, especially if one has in mind that slowing down of our path to the European Union and NATO will undoubtedly be reflected on other region countries, including the entire concept of European unity, i.e. formation of such an Atlantic Organisation which will ne adjusted to the terms of today`s time and qualified to act under these conditions.

This is why I want to clearly point out that from now, Slovenian bloc of our negotiations with the European Union and a serious threat to the possibility of our NATO entry are no longer a problem for Croatia exclusively. It is a problem for the European Union and NATO. And this is my message to you, the citizens of Croatia, as well as international circles.

There is and can be no doubt of our good intentions. Just like there can be no doubts about our readiness to develop good relations with the Republic of Slovenia, i.e. helping other region countries in accomplishing their European aspirations.

However, at the same time, while we accept all the help from the outside, there can be no doubt concerning the following: the Republic of Croatia will maintain of solving the disputable issues with the Republic of Slovenia with the application of international law and before an international court. We are thus not prejudicing anything, quite the contrary – we accept any decision of the court in advance, decision based on international law – no matter what it may be.

As far as the fabricated dilemma over the Slovene access to the open sea goes, I must conclude that this is not an issue here, because that question was solved by the United Nations Convention on the right to sea.

Therefore, we were brought in a situation which is unfavourable, but this does not mean we need to additionally dramatise or open the valves of negative emotions. It is precisely now and despite the policy of official Ljubljana that we have to do everything in our power not to ruin the relations between the citizens of the two countries.

We shall not make hasty moves, we shall not flaunt big words and phrases, we shall maintain with the facts and that the dispute can only be solved before an international court and based on the application of international law.

Responsibility lies with those who refuse this. This must be aware in Croatia, this must be aware in Slovenia, but it also must be aware in the world as well.

As far as our European Union and NATO accession goes, I assure you, Croatia will realise its membership in these integrations. Perhaps not when we expected and predicted it, with reason, but we will become a member of the European Union and NATO. And we will keep conducting all the necessary reforms for accession. And we will conduct them . for our sake and the sake of our future.

Thank you – Croatian President Stjepan Mesic said in his address to the nation.