The Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs lodged today a diplomatic note with the Slovenian Embassy to Croatia, expressing the strongest protest over Slovenia’s unlawful fencing off the border crossings of Trnovec-Središče ob Dravi (Šparovec) and Prhovec-Godeninci (Kocijan), special crossing points for residents of the border area determined by the 1997 Agreement on Local Border Traffic and Cooperation between the Republic of Croatia and the Republic of Slovenia.
By fencing off the two border crossings, Slovenia has violated said agreement and has brought into question its purpose, as the agreement has guaranteed and enabled the unobstructed passage of the border by residents on both sides of the border area for many years.
Slovenia has been requested to remove the fence from said border crossings that are used by residents of the Croatian border area for legitimate crossing of the border. Slovenia has also been requested once again to remove the barbed wire it had put earlier on Croatian state territory, as stated in the previous protest letters.
In a conversation with the Slovenian chargé d’affaires, it was pointed out that Croatia thought Slovenia had shown double standards in its conduct because it prevented the crossing of two border points used by Croatian nationals, while border crossings used by both Slovenian and Croatian nationals remained open. Said conduct brings into question the Agreement on Local Border Traffic and Cooperation, whose purpose is to ensure equal treatment for residents of the border area, regardless of whether they are Slovenian or Croatian nationals, and allow them to lead a normal live and cross the border for everyday purposes.