PM Plenkovic: Croatia to continue protecting national interests after arbitration ruling

There are no obstacles for Croatia to protect its own national interests after the arbitration tribunal delivers its ruling on the border dispute with Slovenia on Thursday, Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic said on Wednesday.

"We have explained our position to all our partners. We are going our way, and Slovenia will take steps to protect its own interests. There are no obstacles for us to react with a view to protecting Croatian national interests, and the issue of territory and borders is one of the most important," Plenkovic told the press after attending a session of Parliament.

He said he was inclined to "de-dramatise tomorrow's event and reactions to it," reiterating that Croatia was open to further talks with Slovenia to settle the border dispute.

 The issue of border delimitation "has caused commotion in the public many times in the past years. I don't see any need for that to happen tomorrow. The positions of both countries are clear, and the issue of delimitation will continue to be with us," the Croatian PM said.

"We don't expect any unilateral moves," he stressed.

Asked if people had any reason for concern, Plenkovic said there was none because Croatia and Slovenia are neighbours and friends, members of the EU and NATO, and are mature enough to continue talks after Thursday.

The Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague will announce on Thursday its ruling on the territorial dispute between Croatia and Slovenia concerning their land and sea borders. Croatia will not be present in the courtroom nor will it physically accept the ruling. This decision reflects the Croatian Parliament resolution of July 2015 to withdraw from the arbitration process because of a grave breach of the process by Slovenia.

Text: Hina

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