Regarding article published 7 February 2007 in Slovenian daily “Delo”, entitled “Concession over Piranski Bay extended one-sidedly”

The MFAEI would like to remind that the Croatian Government’s Decision on Amendments to the Decision on Granting Concession for the Exploration of Oil and Gas in the Exploration Area of the Northern Adriatic from 5 January 2007 only extended the concession for the exploration of oil and gas in the exploration area of the Northern Adriatic, an area defined by the Croatian Government’s decisions from 2001 and 2002, and would like to point out that Slovenia did not protest against the 2002 Decision at the time. The Decision determined the northern part of the exploration area descriptively, following the border of the continental shelf and the Slovenian territorial sea up until point A, marked as “the junction with the Slovenian state border and the coastal line”, and does in no way prejudice a final solution to the sea border issue between Croatia and Slovenia.

The article’s content is based on a completely false presentation of facts and the Ministry would like to remind that it pointed out in its note from 29 January 2007 that the Slovenian public has the right to an objective truth about border issues with the neighbours, including a legally founded and unpoliticised approach to the issue of the sea border with Croatia”.

As far as the border issue itself is concerned, Croatia advocates the necessity of drawing the Savudrijska Vala border in accordance with the Article 15 of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, while the MFAEI would like to reiterate that media’s raising of tension does not benefit the creation of the atmosphere necessary for the strengthening of mutual trust, nor the professional and expert work required in conducting further talks about solving the sea border issue.