Slovenian Prime Minister Borut Pahor said on Friday that Slovenia and Croatia would soon exchange diplomatic notes stating that the process of ratification of the agreement on international arbitration in the two countries' border dispute had been completed in both countries.
Speaking at the end of a two-day meeting of EU prime ministers in Brussels, Pahor said the exchange of diplomatic notes was expected definitely by the end of the year, dismissing reports that the situation regarding that issue was becoming increasingly complicated, the Slovenian news agency STA said.
Pahor said that he had talked about relations with Croatia and the arbitration deal also with European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso and that he had given him a memorandum stating that the two countries would soon exchange diplomatic notes on the arbitration deal and that one should not expect any complications in that regard.
The exchange of diplomatic notes and the subsequent signing of the Accession Treaty between Croatia and the EU will mark the start of enforcement of the arbitration agreement, said Pahor.
He added that he did not expect any particular problems in the arbitration procedure.
All procedures envisaged by the arbitration agreement on the settlement of the Croatian-Slovenian border dispute, signed by Prime Ministers Borut Pahor and Jadranka Kosor, will start after Croatia's signs its EU Accession Treaty.
