President Milanović Receives Participants of Forum of Croatian Minorities
The President of the Republic Zoran Milanović received representatives of Croatian minority communities from Austria, Montenegro, Italy, Hungary, North Macedonia, Romania, Slovakia and Serbia participating in the 28th Forum of Croatian Minorities taking place on 17 November in Zagreb.
The director of the Croatian Heritage Foundation Mijo Marić presented the Forum to President Milanović. He explained that it consists of an expert gathering discussing themes related to Croatian minorities in Central and South East Europe. This year’s Forum theme is: “Veze hrvatskih manjinskih zajednica s obrazovnim, kulturnim i znanstvenim ustanovama u RH u desetljeću hrvatskoga članstva u Europskoj uniji“ (Connections of Croatian minority communities with educational, cultural and scientific institutions in the Republic of Croatia in the decade of Croatia’s membership in the European Union).
The goal of the gathering of representatives of Croatian minority communities is the valorization of the past cooperation between educational, cultural and scientific institutions in order to more effectively recognize the needs of Croatian minority communities. At the Forum, participants will question, among others, areas such as positive practices resulting from the cooperation of Croatian minority communities with educational, cultural and scientific institutions in the Republic of Croatia, projects and programmes implemented in conjunction with regional and self-government in the Republic of Croatia as well as challenges in the realization of connections with educational, cultural and scientific institutions in the Republic of Croatia.
Attending the meeting in addition to the director of the Croatian Heritage Foundation Mijo Marić were Dr. Evald Höld of the Scientific Institute of Burgenland Croats, Dr. Stanko Horvat of the Croatian Cultural Society of Burgenland, Dr. Robert Hajszan of the Pannonian Institute of Austria, Darko Perić of the Croatian National Council of Montenegro, Francesca Sammartino from Molise, Italy, Juan Carlos Damir Murković of the Croatian Community in Trieste, Janosz Gugan of the Croatian State Self-government in Hungary, Andrija Handler of the Collection of Sacred Art of Croats in Hungary, Timea Šakan-Škrlin of Croatica Publishing House in Hungary, Agnesa Živković-Mandić of the “Miroslav Krleža“ Croatian day care centre, elementary school, secondary school and pupils dorm in Hungary, Slobodan Giureci Ghera of the Croatian Community in Romania, Anka-Svetlana Facraci of Caraşova, Romania, Josip Tunić and Nenad Živković of the Croatian Community in North Macedonia, Radoslav Jankovič and Kristian Maschkan of the Croatian Cultural Federation in Slovakia, Đanino Kutnjak of the Federation of Croatian Societies in Slovenia, Koraljka Čeh of the Croatian Cultural Society in Maribor, Katarina Čeliković of the Cultural Institute of Croatia in Vojvodina, and Antonella D’Antuono representative of the Croatian minority in Molise, Italy.
Alongside President Milanović were the Adviser to the President for Foreign and European Policy Neven Pelicarić and the Adviser to the President for Human Rights and Civil Society Melita Mulić.
PHOTO: Office of the President of the Republic of Croatia / Tomislav Bušljeta