KOPER KOPER, April 25 (Hina) - Croatian and Slovene parliamentary deputies and the heads of border municipalities in Istria met in the Slovene coastal town of Koper on Sunday to discuss relations between the two countries after
Slovenia joins the European Union on May 1.
KOPER, April 25 (Hina) - Croatian and Slovene parliamentary deputies
and the heads of border municipalities in Istria met in the Slovene
coastal town of Koper on Sunday to discuss relations between the two
countries after Slovenia joins the European Union on May 1.#L#
Istrian Democratic Assembly (IDS) member of the Croatian Parliament
Damir Kajin said that "these areas have for years been held hostage by
unresolved foreign policy relations between Zagreb and Ljubljana,
including such issues as Ljubljanska Banka, the sea border and the
Krsko nuclear power plant."
Congratulating Slovenia on being admitted to the EU next Saturday,
Kajin said that Croatia should become an associate member of the bloc
as soon as possible because "the EU is fully opening to its members
and closing to all others."
When Slovenia joins the EU, "border areas such as Istria will be in
the same position as Koper or Gorica in Slovenia have been up to now,"
he said.
Kajin expressed confidence that relations between Slovenia and Croatia
would be much more successful in the future and that they would be
marked by economic processes rather than by "political wrangling as
has been the case so far".
He also expressed hope that after Slovenia enters the EU Croatian
citizens would be able to cross the Croatian-Slovene border in the
same way Slovene citizens had crossed the Italian or Austrian border.
"However, we have to be aware that there will be greater control than
there has been so far," he concluded.
Speaking of the borders, Aurelio Jurij of the Joint List of Slovene
Democrats said that Slovenia had been told by Brussels to resolve the
border issue as soon as possible. He expressed regret over Croatia's
rejection of the Racan-Drnovsek agreement, which he described as a
compromise between the two countries.
Jurij said that the issue was likely to be resolved by international
arbitration, but that during that process his country would insist on
the implementation of the Drnovsek-Racan agreement as an optimum
solution.
The Croatian representatives at the meeting included members of
Parliament from the IDS, the Pensioners' Party (HSU) and Istria County
deputy prefect Giuseppe Rotta.
(Hina) vm