Bilateral matters should not be connected with a candidate's EU entry. It is very rational that the matter be settled by international arbitration in accordance with the international law, Fico told a news conference he held together with his host Prime Minister Ivo Sanader in Zagreb on Friday.
Fico said that no obstacles including the ones stemming from the Treaty of Lisbon should hinder Croatia's efforts to join the European bloc and he promised that Slovakia would continue supporting Croatia on this path.
We will do our best to see to it that obstacles on that path are removed, said the Slovak premier, whose four-year term in office soon expires.
Sanader reiterated that he expected Slovenia to lift its veto on Croatia's EU entry talks, which have been at a standstill for months due to the blockade imposed by Slovenia over the two countries' border dispute.
If they (Slovenians) do not accept the proposal (by the European Commission) then they should set aside the issue for later, and the negotiations could be wrapped up by the end of this year, Sanader said.
Sanader said that the latest compromise proposal, tabled by Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn, was offered as a "take it or leave it" deal, but Slovenia moved some amendments which Zagreb finds to be unacceptable.
The Prime Ministers Sanader and Fico also talked about energy cooperation between their countries.
Fico said that Slovakia was interested in using a terminal for liquefied gas which Croatia is planning to build.
In addition, Slovak companies intend to be engaged in the construction of an underground gas storage depot in Croatia.
Sanader said that Bosnia-Herzegovina, Hungary and Serbia had already expressed their interest in the future underground storage facilities in Croatia.
The two premiers called on Slovak tourists to visit croatia this summer.
Also on Friday, Croatian President Stjepan Mesic and Fico, who arrived in Zagreb for an official visit, agreed that the Slovenian-Croatian border dispute could be settled only by the application of the international law,