LJUBLJANA, Oct 8 (Hina) - Slovenia's foreign ministry assessed as "unacceptable" on Wednesday claims that the Croatian parliament's decision to proclaim an ecological and fishing zone in the Adriatic does not prejudge the
Croatian-Slovene border on the sea or clash with Croatia's international commitments, as the Croatian foreign ministry claimed in a reply to Slovenia's note of protest against the Croatian parliament's decision.
LJUBLJANA, Oct 8 (Hina) - Slovenia's foreign ministry assessed as
"unacceptable" on Wednesday claims that the Croatian parliament's
decision to proclaim an ecological and fishing zone in the Adriatic
does not prejudge the Croatian-Slovene border on the sea or clash
with Croatia's international commitments, as the Croatian foreign
ministry claimed in a reply to Slovenia's note of protest against
the Croatian parliament's decision. #L#
The Slovene ministry said in a statement that the positions
outlined in the Croatian reply were unacceptable since Croatia
deprived Slovenia of the right to access the open sea.
"Slovenia has territorial access to the open sea and the right to
proclaim its own exclusive economic zone as well as a fishing or an
ecological zone. Slovenia enjoyed this right in the former
(Yugoslav federation), the whole time after its disintegration,
and enjoys it today."
The statement goes on to say that Croatia recognised this Slovene
right with an initialled border agreement between the two prime
ministers.
"That border agreement confirms Slovenia's positions, which are
based on principles and rules of international maritime law,
countries' practice and rulings on the delimitation of
neighbouring countries' territorial seas, as well as on the fact
that these are Slovenia's acquired and actual rights."
The statement says that preserving direct territorial access to the
open sea is a vital Slovene interest, and that this is the reason
Slovenia cannot accept Croatia's unilateral move to proclaim a
protected ecological and fishing zone in the Adriatic.
This zone prejudges the Croatian-Slovene border as determined in
the initialled agreement and infringes on territory in which
Slovenia has sovereign rights, the statement added.
It went on to say that Slovenia would continue to advocate that all
interested parties reach a multilateral agreement on an equal basis
within regional, subregional and other organisations.
Slovenia does not plan any bilateral activities regarding this
issue before the Venice conference on fishing in the Mediterranean
due to take place later next month, the statement said.
(hina) ha