FM Pusić: Legal consultations ongoing, Croatia considering every option

“We will today send a letter to the European Commission, which mediated the arbitration agreement and the arbitration itself, to notify it about the situation and the latest developments,” Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Vesna Pusić told reporters after a government session

“We will today send a letter to the European Commission, which mediated the arbitration agreement and the arbitration itself, to notify it about the situation and the latest developments,” Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Vesna Pusić told reporters after a government session. Regarding the newly arisen circumstances concerning the arbitration agreement with Slovenia, Pusić said consultations were ongoing with legal experts and that Croatia was considering every option. “I would like to point out that this has nothing to do with the arbitration agreement itself. We have no objections to its content and there has been no misunderstanding in that regard. What did happen was that certain allegations appeared in the press, pointing to violations of the agreement and its terms and questioning the impartiality and independence of the adjudicators,” Pusić said. “We are consulting legal experts and considering every option, including the possibility of walking out of the arbitration process if it is evaluated that the process is indeed this compromised.” Asked to comment on the statement by the Slovenian team’s lawyer that Croatia had been informed about the situation as early as the previous year and that the 30-day appeal deadline had passed, Pusić said: “I found out about the whole thing yesterday from the newspapers and I still cannot confirm that it is one hundred percent true. But everything is pointing to it. Besides, how could we have known about it when it was hidden from the public,” she said, adding that otherwise Croatia would have reacted immediately. “We do not play with such serious matters and it should be not dragged down to such a level. We will examine the situation with a cool head,” said Pusić. Asked what was the point of notifying the Commission which yesterday practically distanced itself by saying the proceedings were not within the EU’s remit, Pusić recalled that the Commission helped with the arbitration agreement. “We are notifying the Commission because it helped in finding a solution to the border dispute through an arbitration agreement and because Croatia and Slovenia are EU member states, but we will deal with our problem ourselves.” she added. Asked to comment on the fact that Slovenia is trying to portray this as an espionage scandal, Pusić said this was especially surprising. “I expected the first definite claim to say that this is not true, because that’s what this is about – whether it is true or not.” She said the public would be informed about everything in a timely manner, reiterating that decisions should not be rushed, as the whole thing had been taken very seriously and with respect for the international law. “After establishing the facts and evaluating the situation, we will make a decision, including the possibility of walking out of the arbitration process,” Pusić reiterated. 

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