"Slovenia has the right to declare an ecological, fisheries or some other zone in the Adriatic," Rupel was quoted by the Slovene new agency STA as saying.
Slovenia's right is founded on the delimitation of territorial waters between Italy and the former Yugoslavia and Slovenia is a successor to that agreement, Rupel said.
He went on to say that the situation in Slovenia after Croatia declared a protected zone in the Adriatic and Italy announced a similar step was not dramatic because Croatia's ecological and fisheries protection zone did not apply to Slovenia, while the establishment of such a zone by Italy was in its initial phase.
Slovenia has not had the need to establish a zone in the Adriatic so far, but it will consider such a measure if necessary, Rupel said.
The STA agency last week reported that the Slovene government was considering declaring a zone in the Adriatic, which was later confirmed by Rupel.
A Slovene expert on international law, Miha Pogacnik, has told STA that Slovenia has the right to declare an economic zone in the Adriatic although in principle it could also establish joint zones with Italy and Croatia.
Pogacnik has said that statements about the declaration of such a zone by Slovenia were the result of the need to strengthen political arguments in talks on delimitation at sea with Croatia.