Croatia opens talks with Montenegro over ship Jadran and military property

The first meeting of the joint commissions of Croatia and Montenegro opened in Zagreb on October 9, 2026, launching formal talks to settle a long list of bilateral disputes between the two neighbours.

Focus on the training ship Jadran and wartime property succession

Croatia has placed the status of the school ship Jadran at the centre of the agenda, along with other claims tied to succession of military assets from the former state union. Croatian Foreign Minister Gordan Grlić Radman said that, in addition to the Jadran, Zagreb is seeking other military property whose value, he said, exceeds $2.7 billion.

Speaking to Croatian Television, Grlić Radman rejected accusations that Zagreb is treating these as ordinary bilateral items to block Montenegro’s path to the European Union. "How will we look at the future of the EU if Montenegro, which is a candidate, ignores its first neighbour and actually does not want to resolve these issues," he said.

Officials from both countries noted that multiple sensitive subjects remain on the bilateral agenda beyond the ship and military succession: maritime delimitation, compensation claims by former detainees from the Morinj camp, locating those missing from the 1990s wars, prosecution of wartime crimes, and assorted property-right disputes.

The two sides agreed that maritime delimitation will be negotiated in a separate format, while the Zagreb meeting is intended to open concrete talks on military property and succession. The Jadran dispute has been among the most sensitive items in relations for years: Croatia demands return of the vessel while Montenegro views it as part of its military and naval tradition.

Photo: press material from the event