More detailed evaluations related to the today’s Decision of the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg will be possible after the receipt of the Judgment and a careful study of its contents, but we nevertheless understand it as the confirmation of the Slovenian arguments. We hope that the Decision of the Strasbourg Court will contribute to a more rapid solving of the problem of the holders of savings accounts of Ljubljanska banka, and that we will be able to use this opportunity as an incentive for positive developments.

 

The Republic of Slovenia has consistently defended the position that the issue of taking over the guarantees of the former SFRY for foreign currency deposits of the citizens needs to be resolved within the framework of the succession of the former SFRY, because it was the latter that guaranteed for them. Upon the disintegration of the former common state, Slovenia, on the basis of the territorial principle, undertook the guarantees for foreign currency deposits made in the banks in the territory of the Republic of Slovenia. We expect the Republic of Croatia to do the same.

 

All five successors of the former SFRY agreed by signing the succession agreement of the former SFRY on 29 June 2001 to solve this issue in negotiations within the framework of the Bank for International Settlements in Basel. In Slovenia, we therefore expect that the today's decision will accelerate the solving of this problem in the place where it should be solved, in compliance with the Agreement.

 

We wish to take this issue deriving from our common history and burdening the bilateral relations with our southern neigbour state off the agenda as soon as possible, and to pay more attention to the common European future, where the efforts of the neighbouring Croatia are directed as well.