Slovenia is following plans by Italy and Croatia to declare their respective exclusive economic zones in the Adriatic and the matter will be discussed by Slovenian Foreign Minister Anze Logar and his Italian counterpart Luigi Di Maio in Rome on December 10.

In a statement quoted by STA news agency, the Slovenian Foreign Ministry said it was following developments regarding the planned declaration of exclusive economic zones in the Adriatic through usual diplomatic channels, adding that Slovenia shared the concern of other Adriatic countries for comprehensive protection of the Adriatic Sea.

Foreign Ministers Gordan Grlic Radman of Croatia and Luigi Di Maio of Italy met in Zagreb on Monday and discussed the declaration of exclusive economic zones on both sides of the Adriatic, confirming the coordination of their activities and their readiness to begin talks on delimitation of the two zones.

Croatia declared an economic zone in the Adriatic in 2003, but later decided not to apply it to EU member states pending a common agreement.

Croatia believes that the declaration of exclusive economic zones on both sides of the Adriatic would pave the way to even stronger cooperation and comprehensive protection of the Adriatic in accordance with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and EU legislation, the Croatian Foreign Ministry said after the meeting in Zagreb on Monday.