The ministry assesses that (the media report) is yet another example of the unauthorised use of the official and confidential documentation and an example of distorted presentation of the topics and contents of the talks which Minister Kolinda Grabar Kitarovic held with the Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation, Sergey Lavrov.
The Jutarnji List daily on Friday reported that it could be concluded from official notes taken during the meeting between Grabar Kitarovic and Lavrov in Moscow in early November, that the Russian side was reserved towards a possibility for increasing the quantity of gas to be delivered to Croatia as of 2009 after the Croatian government jettisoned plans for the Druzba Adria project amid the strong campaign of local environmental associations against the project.
The daily said that this was about "linked trade", and quoting the notes from the meeting it added that "the approval of the Druzba Adria project would accelerate the solution of a series of other issues," alluding to Zagreb's request for larger supplies of gas to Croatia as of 2009 although Russia planned to increase the supplies as of 2012.
The Croatian ministry emphasises that there was nothing secret at the meeting and that the public was briefed of the contents of the Moscow talks.
The ministry's press release adds that during their meeting the two ministers discussed bilateral cooperation in the power sector, too.
The Russian side expressed interest in seeing Croatia as well as the entire southeastern Europe being more strongly engaged in trans-European power projects and in this context there was some talk about the Druzba Adria project as well as about the project on trans-European oil pipeline from the Romanian seaport of Constanta, via Croatia's Omisalj on the island of Krk to Trieste in Italy, the Croatian ministry said in the press release.
Minister Grabar-Kitarovic informed her Russian counterpart about an initiative that the two projects can be considered against a backdrop of possible connection of the Croatian oil pipeline system with Slovenia and Italy so as to ensure the transport of the oil as well as the protection of the Adriatic, reads the press release.
The ministry went on to say that Minister Grabar Kitarovic suggested that the Russian side may consider a possibility of the delivery of additional gas supplies as of 2009 and that relevant Croatian and Russian companies continue the talks on the matter, which they have already done.
Croatian Prime Minister Ivo Sanader has strongly dismisses speculations that Russia is making the increase in gas supplies conditional on Croatia's signature to the Druzba Adria project.
The information which a daily published today is not correct, Sanader said at a news briefing in the Finance Ministry on Friday
The Environmental Protection and Construction Ministry has entrusted a task force with this issue (Druzba Adria project) and the expert team is expected to elaborate a study which is still a topic of talks, the premier explained.
Sanader added that Croatia had already proposed to Russia and other countries that signed the Duzba Adria project to consider an alternative route, referring to the oil pipeline from Romania's Constanta via Croatia and Slovenia to Trieste, Italy
"The Slovene and Italian government are holding internal discussions on the matter and all signatories (to the Druzba Adria project), including Russia are in principle agreed with the alternative directions," he said.