He was responding to a question from Gordan Jandrokovic of the opposition HDZ as to why the government wanted to ratify the agreement now, even though a number of eminent experts advised against it because of unfavourable circumstances for Croatia.
Milanovic showed him a Foreign Ministry statement from 2010, when Jandrokovic was foreign minister, which said the agreement should be ratified because it was good for Croatia.
He also pointed to the minutes of a meeting of the inter-state borders commission which said that work should continue on ensuring conditions for the ratification.
"The borders commission which was headed by your state secretary, later a member of the government, said and concluded, before talks with Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2010, that ratification should be proposed," Milanovic told Jandrokovic.
He said some experts objected to the agreement, but that some were for its ratification. "This isn't a matter of international law but a matter of statesmanship in which I allow that I may be wrong," the prime minister said, adding that he would not force MPs to do anything against their will.