Treaty of Osimo: Difference between revisions

*{{flag|Italian Republic|2003}}

The '''Treaty of Osimo''' was signed on 10 November 1975 by the[[Italy]] and [[Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia]] and the [[Italian Republic|Yugoslavia]] in [[Osimo]], Italy, to definitively divide the [[Free Territory of Trieste]] between the two states: the port city of Trieste with a narrow coastal strip to the north -west (Zone A) was given to Italy; a portion of the north-western part of the Istrian peninsula (Zone B) was given to Yugoslavia.

The full name of the treaty is '''Treaty on the delimitation of the frontier for the part not indicated as such in the [[Treaty of Peace with Italy, 1947|Peace Treaty of 10 February 1947]]'''. The treaty was written in [[French language|French]] and became effective on 11 October 1977. For the [[Italian Governmentgovernment]], the treaty was signed by [[Mariano Rumor]], [[Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Italy)|Minister for Foreign Affairs]]. For Yugoslavia, the treaty was signed by [[Miloš Minić]], the [[Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Yugoslavia)|Federal Secretary for Foreign Affairs]].<ref>The original text of the Treaty</ref>

The Italian government was criticized harshly for signing the treaty, particularly for the secretive way in which negotiations were carried out, skipping the traditional diplomatic channels. Italian nationalists rejected the idea of giving up [[Istria]], since Istriait had been an ancient "Italian" region together with the Venetian region (''[[Italia (Roman Empire)|Venetia et Histria]]'').<ref name="Linden">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Y2QLGVOYQ30C&pg=PA104|page=104|title=Norms and nannies: the impact of international organizations on the central and east European states|author=Ronald Haly Linden|isbn=9780742516038978-0-7425-1603-8|year=2002}}</ref> Italian nationalists state that the antique Italian eastern border lineborderline lies in Istria and is defined as the riverRiver [[Raša (river)|Arsia]] (today [[Raša (river)|Raša]]). Furthermore, Istria had belonged to Italy for the 25 (1919–1943) years between [[World War I]] and the end of [[World War II]], and the west coast of Istria had long had a sizeable Italian -minority population.<ref name="Valussi/Ressmann">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GdVDAAAAYAAJ&dqq=popolazione%20italiana%20istria&pg=PA62|page=62|title=Trieste e l'Istria nelle quistione italiana |year=1861 |author=Valussi, Ressmann}}</ref>

Some called for the prosecution of the then Prime Minister and the Minister of Foreign Affairs for the crime of [[treason]], as stated in Article 241 of the Italian Criminal Code, which mandates a life sentence for anybody found guilty of aiding and abetting a foreign power to exert its sovereignty on the national territory. The treaty did not guarantee the protection of the [[Istrian Italians|Italian minority]] in the Yugoslav zone noror for the [[Slovenes in Italy|Slovenian minority]] in the Italian zone. The question of the protection of minorities was toalready beenshrined dealtin withthe later[[European viaConvention theof signingHuman Rights]] which has its own powerful [[European Court of separateHuman Rights|Court]], nonetheless linguistic and office-holding qualification protections were enshrined in later signing of protocols. {{Citation needed|date=June 2010}}

[[Slovenia]] declared its independence in 1991 and was recognized internationally in 1992. Italy quickly recognised Slovenian independence and accepted the accession of the new Slovenia to treaties concluded with Yugoslavia.<ref name="Linden"/> The treaty's applicability was now in question, but Slovenia then released a declaration on 31 July 1992 saying that it would recognize the treaty.<ref name="Scovazzi">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ykhYv9u8LHoC&pg=PA49|page=49|title=Marine specially protected areas|author=Tullio Scovazzi|isbn=9789041111296978-90-411-1129-6|date=January 1999}}</ref>

Both itItaly and Croatia have opposed any changes to the treaty. Slovenia claimed that all debts owing to Italy for property transferred to Yugoslav sovereignty after 1947 had now been paid. By 1993, however, 35,000 Italians still claimed that money was owed to them.

In 1994, the Italian government, led by [[Silvio Berlusconi]], demanded that adequateadditional compensation be paid, or efforts to integrate Slovenia into Western Europe would be halted. To that effect, it blocked talks for Slovenia's accession to the [[European Union]] until March 1995, when the new government, under [[Lamberto Dini]], retracted the Italian demand. A co-operativecooperative pact was signed, (led by [[Spain]]), with the effect of allowing Italian nationals who had resided in Slovenia for three years to purchase property there for up to four years after the pact was signed. It came into force during Slovenia's attempts to join the EU.<ref>{{cite book|title=Europa World Year Book 2|volume=2|author=Taylor & Francis Group|year=2004|page=3796|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gP_-8rXzQs8C&pg=PA3796|isbn=9781857432558978-1-85743-255-8}}</ref>

No similar declaration was made by the Croatia government, but the Croatian Parliament of Croatia on 25 June 1991 accepted the borders of Croatia as part of Yugoslavia.<ref name="Scovazzi"/> However, Italy did not insist on a declaration byfrom Croatia, {{Why|date=December 2015}} and the treaty was never questioned by Croatia, which considers it to be a valid treaty. {{Citation needed|date=June 2010}}.