Slovenian PM: No reply from Zagreb

The Slovenian PM has still to pin his Croatian counterpart down to their agreed meeting, stating that Croatia has open border issues with all its neighbors. Borut Pahor told a press conference on Friday that, despite sincere pledges, he had not yet been able to agree to a meeting with Ivo Sanader—who offered the get-together in the first place— since he still had not received a positive answer from Zagreb. Slovenian PM: No reply from Zagreb Pahor said Sanader must judge “when it seems to him best to agree to the meeting,” warning at the same time that it would have to be well-prepared. “All the confusion about the meeting is just an episode that will quickly be forgotten, as long as we have it soon and establish a clear political will to resolve the border problem,” said the Slovenian prime minister, speaking in Ljubljana. At the same time, the Croatian Foreign Ministry announced that they had still to receive an answer from Slovenia to their diplomatic note sent last week, in which Sanader invited Pahor to meet. Pahor said that he did not want to dramatize the confusion between Slovenia and Croatia, adding that both countries had a chance to resolve this matter that had been clouding their relationship, but that without a political will on both sides would not move forward. He said that he hoped they would come to a final solution to the matter this year, or that it would at least become apparent that a settlement would be reached in the foreseeable future. The Slovenian prime minister repeated that the hold-up in negotiations would not have happened had Zagreb not added controversial documents to the paperwork, in which the border issue had been prejudged. Pahor noted that Croatia did not have an open border issue only with Slovenia, but also with its other neighbors, adding that if the EU was to continue spreading to West Balkan countries, then it would be good if Croatia could resolve at least one of those issues. Borut Pahor (FoNet, archive)

Slovenian PM: No reply from Zagreb

Pahor said Sanader must judge “when it seems to him best to agree to the meeting,” warning at the same time that it would have to be well-prepared.

“All the confusion about the meeting is just an episode that will quickly be forgotten, as long as we have it soon and establish a clear political will to resolve the border problem,” said the Slovenian prime minister, speaking in Ljubljana.

At the same time, the Croatian Foreign Ministry announced that they had still to receive an answer from Slovenia to their diplomatic note sent last week, in which Sanader invited Pahor to meet.

Pahor said that he did not want to dramatize the confusion between Slovenia and Croatia, adding that both countries had a chance to resolve this matter that had been clouding their relationship, but that without a political will on both sides would not move forward.

He said that he hoped they would come to a final solution to the matter this year, or that it would at least become apparent that a settlement would be reached in the foreseeable future.

The Slovenian prime minister repeated that the hold-up in negotiations would not have happened had Zagreb not added controversial documents to the paperwork, in which the border issue had been prejudged.

Pahor noted that Croatia did not have an open border issue only with Slovenia, but also with its other neighbors, adding that if the EU was to continue spreading to West Balkan countries, then it would be good if Croatia could resolve at least one of those issues.