By: Sara Rančigaj /Nova24tv
On Wednesday, Foreign Minister Anže Logar hosted the foreign ministers of Croatia and Italy, and talks were held on strengthening co-operation in the North Adriatic. All three – Anže Logar, Luigi Di Maio, and Gordan Grlić Radman – signed a tripartite agreement on cooperation between the countries in the northern Adriatic. Logar already announced the mentioned cooperation in December, but as it turned out, the talks are continuing according to plan. “Today we agreed on permanent cooperation. From now on, we will address all issues to protect our interests, from connectivity to the blue economy and environmental protection, together,” Logar explained.
“Dialogue for common solutions for the benefit of all – the key idea of today’s trilateral meeting with Luigi Di Maio and Gordan Grlić Radman. We will continue in 2021. On all levels,” Foreign Minister Anže Logar announced via Twitter in December 2020 after a meeting in Trieste. Logar’s predictions turned out to be true, as the mentioned ministers continue to cooperate.
On Wednesday, Logar hosted the two foreign ministers in Brdo pri Kranju, and the purpose of the meeting is to continue the tripartite cooperation of the EU coastal states in the northern Adriatic, which began on December 19th last year in Trieste.
At the press conference after the signing of the statement, Minister of Foreign Affairs Anže Logar expressed his joy that the first stage of cooperation between the three countries in the northern Adriatic had ended today. And while signing a joint statement on tripartite cooperation in the northern Adriatic, he said: “Today we agreed on permanent cooperation. From now on, we will address all issues to protect our interests, from connectivity to the blue economy and environmental protection, together.” Meanwhile, he is convinced that the Adriatic Sea connects us and imposes on us the responsibility to protect it together.
The agreement also strengthens cooperation between ports
The three foreign ministers were informed of concrete proposals for co-operation, including enhanced co-operation between ports in the North Adriatic and joint promotion of the Adriatic waterway. “The Adriatic Sea, as a semi-enclosed sea with a high maritime traffic density and a very sensitive ecosystem, requires the close cooperation of all three coastal states,” Logar stressed, who is optimistic about further cooperation. He added that at the time of agreeing on a joint statement, they resolved all outstanding issues that had been raised.
The tripartite cooperation of the northern Adriatic countries began last year with the announcement of Croatia and Italy to declare their economic zones in the Adriatic Sea. Croatia and Italy also informed Slovenia of this intention, which, in accordance with the decision of the arbitral tribunal, does not have the right to declare its own exclusive economic zone. Representatives of Slovenia, Croatia and Italy met at the ministerial and professional level. At the December meeting in Trieste, they adopted a joint statement on cooperation in the management of the Adriatic, but did not sign it.
In the statement, they emphasised, among other things, that Slovenia, Italy and Croatia, as countries bordering the common sea, share the vision of the Adriatic Sea as a bridge that unites people in the region and as a source of prosperity for all. At its meetings with Croatia and Italy, the Slovenian side pointed out that the planned declaration of the exclusive economic zones of Croatia and Italy must in no way predetermine Slovenia’s rights under international and European law.
Slovenia and Croatia have improved relations
Logar is proud that relations with Croatia, led by this government, have become much more friendly and cooperative. A few days ago, he emphasised that relations between the two countries were no longer based on numerous lawsuits, where Slovenia had lost millions in the past. Logar wants to continue cooperating with Croatia constructively and with a focus on successful problem solving.