Slovenian, Croatian presidents agree open issues should not hamper cooperation

Visiting Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic and her Slovenian counterpart Borut Pahor has expressed their common view that the open issues between the two countries should not hamper the otherwise excellent relations and cooperation.

They made the remarks at a press conference here on Thursday after their meeting, emphasizing the cooperation in the fields of business and tourism, according to Slovenian Press Agency (STA).

Grabar-Kitarovic, who started her two-day official visit to Slovenia on Thursday, and Pahor noted that it was their sixteenth meeting in sixteen months since the Croatian president took over in February 2015. They agreed the two countries maintained the excellent bilateral relations.

During her visit, the Croatian president will on Friday join attending the main national ceremony marking the 25th anniversary of independence and National Day along with the presidents of Austria, Germany, Italy and Hungary.

On the open issues between the two countries, Pahor expressed hope that the border arbitration tribunal will continue its work in determining the disputed parts of the border, while the Croatian president reiterated that the procedure was "irreversibly compromised" and that the countries should seek a bilateral solution.

Since taking over as Croatia's president in early 2015, Grabar-Kitarovic has visited Slovenia on various occasions, including for the Bled Strategic Forum and as part of the regular meetings with Pahor in the Brdo-Brijuni process. Endit