LJUBLJANA, May 23 (Hina) - Slovenia delivered two protest notes to Croatia on Thursday, pointing to Croatia's "one-sided actions" in connection with the setting of oyster farms in Piran Bay and concessions for oil and gas drilling
granted Croatian oil company INA, said Slovene Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel.
LJUBLJANA, May 23 (Hina) - Slovenia delivered two protest notes to
Croatia on Thursday, pointing to Croatia's "one-sided actions" in
connection with the setting of oyster farms in Piran Bay and
concessions for oil and gas drilling granted Croatian oil company
INA, said Slovene Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel. #L#
Rupel told reporters in Ljubljana his ministry handed the notes to
Croatian Ambassador Celestin Sardelic.
Seven incidents were recorded in the northern Adriatic's Piran Bay
over the last three weeks between Slovene fishing boats and the
Croatian police, said Rupel.
"We expect the oyster farm near Kanegra will be removed and that
Croatia will thus re-establish the previous state of affairs," he
said in connection with cages for oyster breeding which the Sargus
cooperative from Umag, Croatia, set alongside Piran Bay's Croatian
coastline.
With the protest notes Slovenia wishes to show that it "doesn't take
(some occurrences) lightly," said Rupel. Speaking of other things
which Slovenia assesses as the disturbing of the state of affairs in
Piran Bay and the undermining of bilateral relations, he mentioned
an oil transit rule book and a concession approved to INA.
According to Rupel, the Croatian government gave INA a concession
to drill for oil and gas in the northern Adriatic which encroaches
upon "Slovenia's local waters."
"Croatia's latest moves could bring into question the
implementation of the agreement on local border traffic and
cooperation. The actions I spoke about point to a discrepancy
between official stances and Zagreb's moves," said Rupel.
(hina) ha sb