President Milanović at University of Rijeka Day: Rijeka is an open city which is incredibly important for success
“Rijeka is a Croatian city, Rijeka is in Croatia. However, the history of Rijeka is polyvalent, it is Croatian, but regional and global as well”, the President of the Republic Zoran Milanović stated in Rijeka today at a special session of the Senate held on the occasion of University of Rijeka Day.
Speaking of Rijeka’s history and the time it was part of Italy, President Milanović indicated that at the time half of the inhabitants spoke a half-Italian, Fiuman dialect, a quarter Croatian, and a quarter of the people spoke Slovenian. “Rijeka never was just a river, it was a river to which flowed many tributaries. Some ended up as subterranean rivers, and many still flow today. Rijeka is a city that is open and the openness of the city is incredibly important for the success, culture and wind of the spirit”, he noted and underlined that Rijeka experienced its renaissance since being part of the Croatian state. “As a university city competing with the best, Rijeka has entered the race of great ambitions and great expectations because no success is possible without them”, President Milanović remarked.
He added that Rijeka is a city that will be proud of itself as much as it decides to be proud and as much as it sets itself high criteria that it will fulfil on its own. “I wish you to be ambitious, to have no complexes whatsoever because of others. Cooperate with others, cooperate more widely and set yourself very high goals, without them there is no success”, President Milanović said, and told the University of Rijeka students to enjoy the facilities of the University that were built with money from Croatia and the European Union. As for European funds, President Milanović said that they won’t last forever and that we have to be quick to tap into those funds. “We’re fighting for ourselves and our interests. Croatia must be important to us but at the same time we have to cooperate with our neighbours, in the east and in the west, for it to be better for us too”, President Milanović said in ending his address.
Also speaking at the special session of the Senate of the University of Rijeka apart from President Milanović were the president of the Rectors’ Assembly of the Republic of Croatia and the rector of the University of Split Dragan Ljutić, the president of the University Council Ivan Svetlik, the mayor of Rijeka Marko Filipović, Primorje-Gorski County prefect Zlatko Komadina and the State secretary in the Ministry of Science and Education and delegate of the Prime Minister Ivica Šušak. The rector of the University of Rijeka Snježana Prijić-Samaržija and the president of the Student Council of the University of Rijeka Lana Par presented reports on the work of the University of Rijeka. Recognitions were presented to honorary professors and rector’s awards for excellence to the best students.
The University of Rijeka was founded in 1973 although the tradition of higher education in Rijeka stems from as far back as 1633 when a Jesuit College was founded in Rijeka, which was recognized by Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand II. Today this is a contemporary European university and centre of excellence in the region and broader with a total of 16 faculties. The University of Rijeka is a research and scientific-education university responsible for the social and economic development of the community, the city of Rijeka and the region.
Accompanying President Milanović was the Adviser to the President for Education Jadranka Žarković.
PHOTO: Office of the President of the Republic of Croatia / Dario Andrišek