In a statement issued on Thursday, the ministry reiterated last week's statement by the Croatian government saying that "the European Union must not and cannot be used to exert pressure on Croatia and in that regard the ministry considers Slovene prime minister's statement about the withdrawal of support to Croatia's negotiations with the European Union as inappropriate politicising, unprecedented in the EU".
"The Republic of Croatia has not and will not give any cause for the escalation of tensions in relations with the Republic of Slovenia despite yesterday's premeditated act of violation of the Croatian border by 12 Slovene nationals, including two representatives in the Slovene parliament," the ministry said.
Croatian Prime Minister Ivo Sanader and Foreign Minister Miomir Zuzul are involved in settling the case, the Foreign Ministry has launched appropriate diplomatic activity and Croatian officials and diplomats in the country and abroad have explained to their interlocutors "the intentionally caused incident by Slovene citizens and Croatia's position on the matter," the statement said.
The ministry stated that the Croatian police acted completely in line with national legislation and that any other European country and its border police would have acted the same way.
"The Foreign Ministry calls on the Slovene side to reopen and continue talks about all issues of common interest, hoping for absence of incidents marring bilateral relations," the statement reads.
Croatia's permanent mission to the European Communities in Brussels has informed the office of High EU Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy Javier Solana of the case. Representatives of the mission have explained Croatia's position, noting that the incident on the Croatian-Slovene border in Istria had been staged ahead of Solana's visit to Slovenia on Friday.
Other Croatian diplomatic offices outside the country, especially those in the EU, have acted the same way, explaining the intentional incident by Slovene citizens and Croatia's position on the matter, the statement said.
The state secretary at the Foreign Ministry, Hido Biscevic, has informed about the incident Dutch Ambassador to Croatia Lionel Strenghart Veer, whose country is presiding over the Council of the European Union, as well as the head of the European Commission Delegation to Croatia, Jacques Wunenburger.
Croatia's Ambassador to Slovenia, Mario Nobilo, has talked to ambassadors from European Union countries in Ljubljana, and explained Croatia's position on the intolerable, inappropriate and irresponsible border incident, the statement said.