Krapović to head the commission on the ship „Jadran“, composition to be agreed with Ibrahimović

It is still unknown who will make up the commission tasked with resolving the issue of ownership of the ship „Jadran“ within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. What officials at the MFA told the ETV Portal is that the commission will be formed in the coming period (without specifying a deadline), and that its composition, as they state, will be agreed upon by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Ervin Ibrahimović and Minister of Defence Dragan Krapović. It has also been agreed, they add, that Minister Krapović will head the commission.

- The issue of the status of the training ship „Jadran“ is a complex one, which Montenegro wishes to resolve exclusively through dialogue with the Republic of Croatia, in the spirit of good-neighbourly relations, friendship and openness - officials from Minister Ibrahimović’s department said.

As they note, bearing in mind the complexity of the legal, historical and other aspects, as well as the existing, opposing positions regarding the status of the training ship „Jadran“, the agreement reached by the two sides during bilateral political consultations is to exchange the arguments at their disposal through open dialogue, in order to relieve bilateral relations of this issue.

- We maintain the position that the only way to resolve not only this, but all other open issues, is to discuss them exclusively on the basis of an exchange of facts and exact data, relieving the process of emotions or personal impressions - they stated.

In this context, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has sent an initiative to the Ministry of Defence, referring to the need to establish a specialized commission that will deal with this issue.

- Since the said issue falls within the competence of the Ministry of Defence, it has been agreed that the commission will be headed by the Minister of Defence - the MFA said.

As stated in their remarks to the ETV Portal, the decision on the personal composition of this body, whose establishment is expected in the coming period, will be made as part of consultations between Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Ibrahimović and Minister of Defence Krapović.

At the end of last year, the Government of Croatia established a commission for the return of the training ship „Jadran“ and other military property from Montenegro.