President of the Republic welcomes arbitration agreement

Ljubljana, 4.11.2009  |  press release

The President of the Republic of Slovenia, Dr Danilo Türk, welcomes the signing of the Arbitration Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Slovenia and the Government of the Republic of Croatia. With today's signing in Stockholm, the prime ministers of Slovenia and Croatia have made an important contribution on the way toward resolving the border issue between the two countries. The parliaments of both countries were thus offered the opportunity to finally decide in the process of ratification of the agreement on the arbitral tribunal and therewith also on the resolution of the border issue.

The President of the Republic also welcomes the strengthening of mutual trust between the governments of both countries which has developed in the last few months. This is the basic condition for successful resolution of the border dispute. In subsequent procedures, the two countries will need to consolidate their mutual trust and make every effort to reach a fair resolution of the issue. The resolution must be to the benefit of both countries and their future coexistence, and neither country must feel that it has sacrificed or gained anything at the expense of the other country. Every arbitration agreement or dispute settlement process brings a certain risk; however, it is important that the agreement signed today offer a fair resolution for both countries, one that will provide the realisation of the national interests of Slovenia.

The President of the Republic calls for careful examination and sober discussion of the arbitration agreement that was signed today, and for well-considered further steps leading to a successful and fair resolution of the issue.