The statement said that those signals were contrary to "the importance of bilateral relations, our economic, commercial and financial partnership, and the Italian government's unconditional and friendly support to Croatia in the process of its integration with the European Union, which culminated in the launch of the accession talks on 3 October."
In Rome on Tuesday, Italian Undersecretary Roberto Antonione met representatives of the federation of Italian World War Two refugees from Istria, Kvarner and Dalmatia, who expressed their disappointment after learning that Croatia had decided to sign a bilateral agreement with Austria regarding property that had been confiscated after WWII and later denationalised.
According to the statement, Antonione recalled that up until last week Italy had repeatedly called on the Croatian government to honour its earlier commitments regarding the restitution of property to Italian refugees.
"Faced with the Croatian government's unexplainable reticence, Deputy Prime Minister Gianfranco Fini has announced that he will reconsider overall bilateral relations with a view to protecting Italian national interests and will take all the necessary measures, including those on the EU level, to achieve that goal," the statement said.