ZAGREB, Dec 22 (Hina) - The Slovene Foreign Ministry on Monday responded to a note Croatia forwarded on Friday protesting against amendements to the Slovene maritime code envisaging the possibility of declaration of maritime zones in
the Adriatic.
ZAGREB, Dec 22 (Hina) - The Slovene Foreign Ministry on Monday
responded to a note Croatia forwarded on Friday protesting against
amendements to the Slovene maritime code envisaging the possibility of
declaration of maritime zones in the Adriatic.#L#
In a statement issued today, the Slovene Foreign Ministry said the
note reiterated that "Slovenia has territorial access to the open seas
and the right to declare its own economic or ecological-fishing zone",
that it had that right "as one of the coastal republics of the former
Yugoslavia", and that it has kept it to this day.
Slovenia has kept from the time of the former Yugoslavia "the existing
jurisdiction over Piran Bay and direct territorial acess to the open
seas", reads the statement. It is also noted that the amendments to
the Slovene maritime code arise from the conclusions of the Venice
conference on sustainable fishing in the Mediterranean.
"By amending its maritime code Slovenia has not encroached on the
sovereignty and jurisdiction of either Croatia or Italy because it
considers itself a successor to the agreement between the SFRY
(Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia) and Italy on the
demarcation of the epicontinental zone," reads the statement.
The Slovene ministry also states that by declaring an
ecological-fishing zone in the Adriatic without consultations with
neighbouring countries, Croatia "has prejudged the sea border and
encroached on an area where Slovenia enjoys sovereignty and sovereign
rights".
It is also noted that Slovenia is willing to hold bilateral talks on
the sea border, but at a level that will not be below the level
defined by the initialled Drnovsek-Racan agreement.
In the note, sent to Ljubljana after the Slovene parliament adopted
changes to its maritime code, the Croatian authorities call on
Slovenia to exercise restraint regarding possible aspirations towards
areas under Croatian sovereignty or jurisdiction, and believe that the
amendments to the maritime code are unusual considering the fact that
Slovenia has so far described itself as a "geographically
disadvantaged state" without the possibility of declaring maritime
zones. The Slovene move is described in the note as contrary to
international law and the practice of negotiating among Mediterraean
states.
(Hina) rml sb