The prime ministers of Balkan neighbors Croatia and Slovenia on Wednesday signed a border deal that has unblocked Croatia's bid to join the European Union.
Croatia's Jadranka Kosor and Borut Pahor of Slovenia penned the agreement in a ceremony in the capital of Sweden, which currently holds the EU presidency. It now needs to be ratified by lawmakers in both countries.
The deal calls for international negotiators to draw an Adriatic border left unmarked after the 1991 breakup of Yugoslavia.
"I'm sure that eventually, at the end of the day we will be supported also by parliaments. I'm inviting them to do so," Kosor told reporters in Stockholm.
"I also think that this is a step which opens a new door and brings new hope also to our neighbors," she said.
Pahor said it was a historic day for Croatia, Slovenia and the European Union.
"Something good happened today, something that resolves problems, not creates problems, something that can be an inspiration for the future," he said.
The drafting of the deal led the EU member Slovenia to lift its objections over Croatia's negotiations to join the 27-nation bloc. Those talks resumed on Oct. 2.
EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn welcomed the agreement.
"I encourage both countries to proceed with ratification without unnecessary delay, and hope that Croatia makes the last mile in the negotiations, which are reaching the final stage," he said in a statement. "This is a very good day for Slovenia and Croatia, and the European Union."
The U.S. government also praised the deal.
"We congratulate the prime ministers of Slovenia and Croatia on their important agreement signed today in Stockholm, and for their courageous and visionary leadership to resolve this long standing border issue through arbitration," said State Department spokesman Ian Kelly.
"We hope that the ratification and implementation of this agreement will move forward expeditiously. This outcome is in the best interests of both countries as good neighbors and partners in the region and Europe as a whole," he said in Washington.
Slovenia _ with less than 25 kilometers (16 miles) of Adriatic coastline between the Italian and Croatian borders _ wants the border to include a channel giving it open sea access. The two also claim coastal territory covering several villages.
Croatia has said only that it would offer Slovenia free transit through its waters.
Croatian nationalists and leftists opposed to the deal said it would relinquish part of its territory to Slovenia.
Slovenian opponents say international arbitrators could end up dismissing Slovenia's claim altogether.
