In the end, it will be neither our way nor theirs

Croatian Prime Minister Zoran Milanović confirmed on Friday in Brussels that he discussed the issue of Ljubljanska Banka with his Slovenian counterpart Janez Janša, but he did not wish to disclose the details of that conversation, expressing confidence that the problem would be resolved in the next month or month and a half.

– We talked last night and several times today and we will continue to talk to find a solution to get out of this situation, which is inconvenient for both countries. I will not go into the genesis of the problem, who should have done what and when. We need to address practical issues in this entire process, which I expect to be completed in a month, a month and a half – said Milanović after the conclusion of the two-day European Union summit.

– It will require trust between the two sides because we will not be able to resolve everything strictly legally; this is a political problem that has burdened us for 20 years – he added. Milanović emphasized that the basis for his belief that this problem will be resolved is ‘the desire of both countries to end this and for Croatia to become the 28th member of the EU. I have the impression that this is also the desire of the Slovenian side.’ When asked if Croatia is ready to withdraw the powers of attorney for lawsuits against Ljubljanska Banka after this conversation, Milanović said he did not want to go into details as they agreed not to discuss details ‘in the interest of the process.’

– In the end, it is clear that it will not be entirely our way or theirs; that is always the case in diplomacy. It does not matter what I feel as justice, what I feel is right; I am here to defend Croatian interests. I do this together with the First Deputy Prime Minister Vesna Pusić and some other people from the government to the best of our ability, and in the next month, I expect us to resolve this issue in a way that both Croatia and Slovenia are satisfied and that we get out of this awkward situation – he said.

Milanović said he is ready to discuss this in the Croatian Parliament when the time comes, but that it is the government’s jurisdiction. “In Croatia, it is known what each responsibility is; my government does not shy away from responsibility and will not shift responsibility to the Parliament, but I am ready, when the time comes, to talk with colleagues from the Parliament, with other parliamentary clubs, to inform them about what is being done and how it is being done. At this stage, it is the government’s job, just as it was the government’s job regarding the memorandum on the border issue in Savudrija Bay,” he said.

He then said a few words about the memorandum and the arbitration issue regarding the disputed Croatian-Slovenian border. “We have completed that, and it is now up to our and international experts to play that game well, to fight, to think. The positions are known; for us, it is the Badinter Commission and the equidistance line, and what the arbitration will decide we cannot claim to know. The arbitration has two tasks; the first is the delimitation on land and at sea according to the rules of international law, and then after that the so-called ‘junction’ and the regime of using the aquatorium according to the rules of fairness, good neighborly relations, and international law,” said Milanović.