The US government did not block Croatia's bid to join the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), US Ambassador Robert Kohorst said at a business lunch organised by the American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham) in Zagreb on Tuesday.

Jutarnji List newspaper said last week that Washington was opposed to Croatia’s OECD membership bid, possibly because of problems with the restitution of Jewish and Serb Orthodox Church property, government reactions to Holocaust denial and Ustasha symbols, corruption and discrimination against LGBT people and other minorities.

“Membership is cooperative discussion among all the members and is done in confidence. I don’t know the process, but America is not blocking anything,” Kohorst told reporters, declining to say whether Croatia was ready to join.

Croatia formally applied for OECD membership three years ago. Bulgaria, Romania, Peru, Argentina and Brazil are also waiting for accession negotiations to begin.

Croatia’s bid has been blocked by Slovenia over Zagreb’s refusal to implement the border arbitration ruling. Hungary has recently withdrawn its blockade.

Founded in 1961 and based in Paris, the OECD is an intergovernmental economic organisation aimed at boosting the economic growth of the member states and increasing living standards.