Croatian Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Pusić met with Slovenian Foreign Minister Karl Erjavec on Monday, 3 September during the Bled Strategic Forum in Bled in the Republic of Slovenia. The two ministers discussed the issue of Ljubljanska Bank and the role of both countries in the rapprochement of the countries of the region to the European Union, and they expressed moderate optimism for the work of the financial experts of the two countries with regard to the Ljubljanska Bank issue, announcing a new meeting scheduled for 18 September.
At a joint press conference, Minister Pusić stated that she had discussed two key issues with her Slovenian counterpart: the Croatian-Slovenian European partnership in assisting the countries in the region once Croatia enters into the EU and, separately, the issue of Ljubljanska Bank. Though it is difficult to say whether financial experts will “immediately” offer a solution at their next meeting, scheduled for 18 September, all indicators from their first meeting indicate that it is possible to find a win-win solution for both states, and that they will be able to present their proposal in the near future, stated Minister Pusić. She also warned that the “European partnership” between Croatia and Slovenia is “more long-term than everything else” as their neighbourly position is permanent, and once Croatia enters into the European Union, both countries will have the opportunity to use this partnership to assist the other countries in the region through their experiences in the European negotiations process.
Slovenian Minister Erjavec stated that the progress achieved at the first meeting of the financial experts of both countries on the Ljubljanska Bank issue was positive, and that this was jointly stated at today's meeting. He also stated that after the first meeting and discussions he held with Slovenian expert France Arhar, he believed that there were “sufficient possibilities” that an “acceptable solution” at that level could be found for both sides.
Press releases
