Commenting on the recent statement by the Montenegrin Minister of Defense, Predrag Bošković, that the most famous sailing vessel remains in Montenegro, the Ministry of Defense of Republic of Croatia (MORH) said that "the school ship Jadran is owned by the Republic of Croatia and it is the inseparable part of the Croatian naval history".
"Croatia will take all legitimate steps to bring this ship back under the Croatian flag, and we expect Montenegro to implement the agreement on succession and show respect for the international laws," MORH replied.
They recall that the Republic of Croatia, as an expression of good will in the context of good neighborly relations, agreed to the joint use of the school ship Jadran for the purpose of training cadets from the two countries. "However, the main port of the school ship Jadran can only be the port of Split, as it was until 1990, when the ship was taken to Boka Kotorska for overhaul, but never returned," pointed out the Ministry of Defense.
We remind you that the dispute over "Jadran" has arisen because of the Croatia's right over the ship is based on the fact that the ship, which was part of the former Navy's navy, had its base in war port "Lora" in Split.
However, after the war in SFRJ, an agreement was reached that armaments and military installations found at the beginning of the conflict on the territory of certain republics could be considered as property of these republics, so also the school ship "Jadran", which was at that moment is being remodeled at Tivat's "Arsenal", remained in Montenegro's possession.
During the recent celebrations of the 85th birthday of Jadran in Tivat, the Navy Army of Montenegro announced that the school ship is a part of the Montenegrin fleet and it is used for the training of naval personnel and is in Montenegrin ownership.
In a recent AP analysis it was also stated that the school ship is the only point of controversy between Podgorica and Zagreb.
Text by Portal RTCG, on September 21st 2018, read more at CdM
