The Croatian-Slovenian border arbitration agreement is a model which other countries in the region should use to solve their problems before reaching the end of their European Union accession negotiations, Croatian Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor and Slovenian PM Borut Pahor said in the southern Adriatic resort of Dubrovnik on Saturday.
They were speaking to the press after a meeting held on the fringes of Croatia Summit 2011 during which they agreed on a new Brdo Process meeting in September.
"The way in which we solved the problem that stood unsolved for 18 years, without any vision of when it could be solved, is an example for others," Kosor said of the Croatian-Slovenian agreement on arbitration in border issues which had resulted in a blockade of Croatia's EU entry talks for some time.
"The problem was that passion, negative energy and unreadiness to solve an issue that perhaps could have been solved in the early 1990s had accumulated between the two countries," said Pahor.
It is important that other countries do not end up in a situation in which such problems halt their drawing closer to the EU, he added.
"In order for other countries not to repeat those problems, I stress how important it is to solve those issues before the completion of the negotiations," said Pahor.
He and Kosor agreed to meet again as part of the Brdo Process, named after Brdo in Slovenia, which consists of meetings of the leaders of Western Balkan countries.
"We talked about the Brdo Process, which we launched together. If all goes as planned," said Kosor, the next meeting "will probably be held in September."
"Everyone invited to the first such meeting will be invited," she said. "I believe we can effectively help our neighbours on their European path."
