Only "Adriatic" and the border on the table: Montenegro and Croatia agree on the date of a new meeting to resolve disputes

Montenegro and Croatia intend to hold separate bilateral meetings on the two most sensitive open issues – the interstate border and the training ship "Jadran", and the dates for the talks are still being agreed upon.

This was stated to "Vijesti" by the Montenegrin Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MVP), responding to the question of whether the Croatian side had accepted their proposal to hold the third round of bilateral political consultations in Podgorica by the end of August.

"At this moment, activities have been intensified to create the preconditions for holding separate bilateral meetings dedicated to the issues of the interstate border and the training ship 'Jadran'," said the department headed by the Minister of Foreign Affairs. Ervin Ibrahimovic (Bosniak Party).

They add that the protection and affirmation of Montenegro's interests remain an absolute priority in this process, which is why the dynamics and timing of meetings will be coordinated in a way that will enable meaningful dialogue and create conditions for achieving concrete results in the negotiations.

At the same time, as they state, Montenegro remains fully committed to resolving open issues through constructive and continuous dialogue, convinced that it is in the common interest of both countries that they be closed in a mutually acceptable manner.

"In this way, conditions would be created for future generations in two neighboring, friendly and allied states to be focused on building a common European future, and not burdened by the legacy of the past," they said.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that the public will be informed in a timely manner about the dates of meetings with Croatian colleagues after their final agreement through diplomatic channels.

The Croatian Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs did not respond to questions from "Vijesti" yesterday about when special meetings will be held with the Montenegrin side dedicated to the issues of the interstate border and the training ship "Jadran".

At the end of July, they called on the Montenegrin side to engage in constructive dialogue and accelerate work on open issues, stating that Croatia had shown strategic patience and understanding throughout the process, but that now was the time for decisive steps by the Montenegrin Government.

"Croatia emphasizes that the principle of good neighborly relations is one of the key political criteria in the EU enlargement process, which is explicitly stated in the Negotiating Framework of Montenegro and other candidate countries," they said in a statement published on the ministry's official website on July 22.

The Croatian Ministry's statement came a day after the European Commissioner for Enlargement's meeting Marta Kos with Croatian officials, it was conveyed that the process of accession to the European Union (EU) must be based on the implementation of reforms, and that resolving bilateral disputes in the spirit of good neighborly relations is of key importance. Kos then stated on the X network that she had spoken with the Prime Minister of Croatia in Zagreb Andrej Plenković and Croatian Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Gordan Grlić RadmanHer announcement did not mention Montenegro.

Relations between Montenegro and Croatia have been strained for more than two years, culminating in the Montenegrin parliament's adoption of a resolution on the genocide in Jasenovac and the Dachau and Mauthausen concentration camps in the summer of 2024. After that, Zagreb declared the head of parliament non-committal. Andrija Mandić (New Serbian Democracy), Deputy Prime Minister Aleks Bečić (Democrats) and deputies Milan Knežević (Democratic People's Party).

That is why, at the end of January 2025, Zagreb blocked Montenegro from closing Chapter 31 (Foreign, Security and Defence Policy). Bilateral talks between the foreign ministries of the two countries began then, and two meetings have been held so far - both in Zagreb. In February this year, Croatian officials said that there was progress "in millimeters" in the negotiations on resolving open issues. In order to unblock the chapter, Zagreb is seeking to resolve contentious bilateral issues, including the payment of compensation to the prisoners from Morinj, resolving the issue of missing persons, ownership of the ship "Jadran", changing the name of the Kotor basin, continuing talks on the maritime border... In addition to Chapter 31, Zagreb also blocked Montenegro from Chapter 14 (Transport Policy) last month.

The Montenegrin Ministry previously announced that, in order to resolve bilateral disputes with Croatia, an Agreement on the Donation of Real Estate - the "Josip Marković" Cultural Center in Donja Lastva - has been signed, the work of the Intergovernmental Mixed Committee for the Protection of National Minorities has been renewed, "and other concrete activities aimed at preserving the identity and improving the position of the Croatian community in Montenegro have been undertaken."

They stated that the work of the competent institutions has also been intensified in the areas of missing persons, the prosecution of war crimes, the state border and the training ship "Jadran", which official Zagreb claims is theirs, while Montenegro's position is that the ship is its own, referring to the Agreement on the Succession of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.

The issue of the border at Prevlaka, as previously stated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, has been open for more than three decades and its resolution requires thorough preparation and responsible dialogue.

They added that until a final solution is reached, the Protocol on the Temporary Regime along the Southern Border has been applied without problems for 24 years, which Montenegro and Croatia have jointly stated on several occasions.

After the war conflicts of the 1990s, control over the disputed border strip at Prevlaka was taken over by UN observers from 1996 to 2002. That year, a Protocol on a Temporary Border Regime was established.

In December last year, the Croatian government formed a Commission to resolve the issue of the return of the training ship "Jadran" and other issues of military property succession with Montenegro, while at the beginning of May this year, the Montenegrin executive authorities made a decision to form a Commission for regulating relations with Croatia regarding the status of the training ship "Jadran" as a cultural, historical and military symbol of the state of Montenegro, which will be headed by the Minister of Defense. Dragan Krapović (Democrats).

DNP leader Milan Knežević claimed in the Parliament at the end of July that he had information that Croatia and Montenegro had reached an agreement regarding the ship "Jadran".

"The agreement is as follows - we are returning the ship Jadran to the Croats. It will sail under the Croatian flag and will be in the port of Split. Occasionally, we will be able to use it as a training ship," said Knežević.

Chapter 14 allegedly also stalled the equipment from Ćilipi

The Montenegrin Government expects to close Chapter 14 (Transport Policy) in September, meaning that it will receive the green light from Croatia.

Zagreb blocked this chapter allegedly because of the issue of so-called cabotage, i.e. the right of carriers from one country to carry out transport within another country, but also because of the air maps, i.e. the borders of the airspace. Croatia believes that their current presentation may weaken the country's position in the future demarcation with Montenegro, bearing in mind that the borders of that space should coincide with those on land, i.e. at sea.

There is speculation that the Croats have "blocked" the closing of this chapter due to equipment at the Ćilipi airport, which is suspected of being stolen during the attack on Dubrovnik in 1991-1992 and transferred to Montenegro.

As “Vijesti” previously wrote, in 2004 the company “Aerodromi Crne Gore” submitted to the director of the Dubrovnik airport a list of equipment stolen from the “Ćilipi” airport during the 1991 and 1992 wars, which was then (2004) located at the airports of Tivat and Podgorica. The list of equipment included, among other things, an elevator, self-propelled stairs, a water service vehicle and a fire engine, three tractors and the like.

This is the first written document acknowledging that Dubrovnik's airport in Ćilipi was looted, and was the result of many years of correspondence between Dubrovnik, first with JAT, which was the owner of all airports in the former SFRY, and then with the Montenegrin government, namely the Public Company "Airports of Montenegro". It was not until 2003 that this company took over the airports in Podgorica and Tivat from JAT, and with it part of the equipment that was stolen from the airport in Ćilipi during the occupation of Konavle.