Answering reporters' questions during his visit to Hrvatska Kostajnica, the Supreme Commander of the Croatian Armed Forces said he had no information on a Croatian naval ship entering Slovene territorial waters in Savudrija Bay (which Slovenes call Piran Bay) yesterday.
"Our ship sailed on our sea and I am certain that it did not leave it and violate the neighbouring country's territorial waters," Mesic said.
Slovene Foreign Minister Ivo Vajgl yesterday stated that the Croatian Navy patrol ship "Solta" yesterday entered the Bay of Savudrija, calling this "an intolerable incident".
Croatia's Foreign Ministry and Defence Ministry today dismissed Vajgl's statement stressing that the "Solta", which yesterday patrolled Croatian territorial waters and the ecological and fisheries
protection zone off the coast of western Istria, did not enter the Bay of Savudrija at all.
Commenting on current problems in Croatian-Slovene relations, Mesic said that Croatians considered Slovenes a friendly nation and that the two peoples had developed good neighbourly and friendly relations throughout the history, but that there were some outstanding issues.
"We are trying to solve those issues through talks, and as regards the sea border, if no agreement is possible, the problem should best be solved through international arbitration."