The Croatian Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs is surprised by the untrue and legally unfounded allegations Slovenian Foreign Minister Miro Cerar made in a media statement of 27 March, claiming that on 24 March a Croatian police boat had entered deep into Slovenia’s territorial waters in Savudrija Bay, justifying it by saying that their navigation system had malfunctioned. The Ministry dismisses the allegations entirely, adding that the events of 24 March are completely unremarkable. They were about a routine daily navigation and conduct of police control in Croatia’s territorial waters in and outside Savudrija Bay, and about the unlawful navigation of a Slovenian police boat in Croatia’s territorial waters.
The Ministry confirms that it received a diplomatic note from the Slovenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs on 28 March, which made no mention, much less provided arguments for said event or the Slovenian foreign minister’s statement. The Slovenian note is a response to an earlier note by the Croatian side and it repeats general, legally unfounded allegations about reported breaches, to which the Ministry will respond.
The Ministry emphasized that there is no reason for raising tension or making untrue statements, and recalls that it has invited the Slovenian side several times to resume bilateral talks on defining the joint state border for good.