Montenegro proposes international body to resolve border dispute with Croatia if talks fail
Podgorica says it accepts the Badinter principle but wants the historical inter‑republic line clarified before final delimitation with Croatia.
Montenegro has proposed that, if bilateral talks with Croatia fail, the outstanding border dispute be decided by an appropriate international body, the government said in an official statement.
Proposal seeks to keep Badinter principle but clarify historical line
The cabinet of Prime Minister Milojko Spajic stressed that Montenegro “does not call into question the application of the Badinter principle, but for the final delimitation with Croatia it is necessary first to establish the specific line of the former inter‑republic boundary, which in that area was never fully defined.”
The Montenegrin government said it is ready to seek a compromise and prefers the matter to be resolved first through bilateral dialogue. If talks do not produce an agreement, the government proposed referring the dispute to a suitable international instance.
Earlier, Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković warned that Montenegro’s EU accession negotiations could be blocked if Podgorica does not accept the principles established by the Badinter Commission.
Government officials emphasized that the delimitation issue is complex and important, and should be approached patiently and based on facts and law rather than political pressure.
“Montenegro’s readiness for compromise is sincere, as is our obligation to protect legitimate legal positions and national interests. We believe the Croatian side understands this, because the same principle applies to it. Montenegro does not call into question the application of the Badinter principle, according to which former inter‑republic borders form the basis of the borders of states created by the dissolution of the SFRY. However, this application implies a prior determination of the specific line that at the relevant time had the character of an inter‑republic boundary, and which was never fully established in this area,” the cabinet of Prime Minister Milojko Spajic said.
Photo: press material from the event
