President Milanović in Gospić: Croatia will never leave NATO, the first task of our army is to defend the homeland

“Your first capital, sacred duty is to defend Croatia and its borders, its sovereignty, all that makes up a state, the democratic elected government, its residents regardless of ethnic affiliation and faith. Moreover, there is affiliation to joint defense alliances in the collective security system, namely NATO. For years we worked towards Croatia’s membership in NATO and we will never leave it. But, above all to defend the homeland with resources we must use wisely and, God forbid, be ready to act at any moment. Until then we have to live in peace, work and be aware of belonging to an elite organization of which not just anyone can be a member”, President Milanović told the members of “Vukovi” (Wolves) in the 9^th Guards Brigade barracks “Vukovi” in Gospić, where he attended the ceremony marking the 30^th anniversary of the formation of the 9^th Guards Brigade “Vukovi” and the formation of the Motorized battalion “Vukovi“.

“I spent this morning in Široka Kula at the memorial to the 48 civilians killed in the space of a few days in the fall of 1991. Those people were killed on their doorsteps just because they were members of another ethnic group or faith. The people who committed these murders were convicted, however not all of them. After thirty years I don’t expect this to be talked about every day, but on an important day like today we must talk about this, we must not forget this because these victims are embedded in the foundations of the Croatian state. These people disappeared overnight, many were young, women, children. They expected a brighter future, a European Croatia, but did not live to see it”, the President of the Republic continued his address, underlining that the Croatian Army and “Vukovi” brought peace, stability and predictability to our state and to those who survived the war.

President Milanović recalled the beginning of the Homeland War when the army had the impossible task of defending the country practically with no weapons and under conditions of an international embargo. “Those people were not just brave but smart too and well organized because in every battle they had to consider the quantity of weapons they had. Something totally different from today’s war in Ukraine”, he said and added that “the Croatian state, the people, the community of people who live in the same space, within the same borders and who share the common path must be at the centre of everything. “Membership in the European Union and NATO didn’t and won’t change this. You serve the homeland, the Croatian state for which 56 of your friends and fellow combatants and 48 unfortunate civilian Croatian people have fallen in Široka Kula”, President Milanović concluded his address and added that we must fight for our interests and goals for our protection but surely taking into account and “being correct and honest towards others”.

During the ceremony marking the anniversary of the formation in Gospić, President Milanović presented berets to three female and fourteen male members of the Motorized Battalion “Vukovi” and laid a wreath and lit a candle in front of the memorial to the fallen, missing and deceased members of the 9^th Guards Brigade “Vukovi”. Attending the wreath-laying ceremony alongside President Milanović were the Deputy Chief of Staff of the Croatian Armed Forces Lieutenant General Siniša Jurković, the Commander of the Croatian Army Lieutenant General Boris Šerić, the Commander of the Croatian Army Guards Mechanized Brigade Brigadier General Dražen Ressler, the Adviser to the President for Defense and National Security Dragan Lozančić, the Special Adviser to the President for Homeland War Veterans Marijan Mareković, the Head of the Military Office of the Defense and National Security Cabinet Read Admiral Predrag Stipanović and the Aide-de-Camp to the President Colonel Vlado Čulina.

Prior to his arrival in Gospić, the President of the Republic and Commander in Chief of the Croatian Armed Forces Zoran Milanović paid tribute to the civilian victims of the Homeland War at a wreath-laying and candle lighting ceremony in front of the memorial in Široka Kula. Alongside President Milanović were the Mayor of Gospić Karlo Starčević and the Special Adviser to the President Homeland War Veterans Marijan Mareković.

PHOTO: Office of the President of the Republic of Croatia / Filip Glas