President Milanović at Anniversary of Military and Police Operation Flash in Okučani: Croatian Army ended the war in a glorious way
The President of the Republic and Commander in Chief of the Croatian Armed Forces Zoran Milanović attended a ceremony marking the 27th anniversary of the Military and Police Operation “Flash” in Okučani.
The President of the Republic, accompanied by his delegation, laid a wreath and lit a candle at the Memorial “Kristalna kocka vedrine” (Crystal Cube of Serenity) in Dr. Franjo Tuđman Square.
“Operation Flash was a big victory for the Croatian Army, one in a series that came after attempts to destroy Vukovar in late 1991. Just a few weeks later, the Croatian Army took the initiative, and I wish to stress this because it is important, not losing it to the end of the war. With the first operations to liberate western Slavonia, having few soldiers and even less equipment and ammunition at its disposal, in conditions of international isolation and, at that time, lack of recognition, a weapons embargo, therefore things could not be worse, the Croatian Army took the initiative up to the final victory – in Storm and operations Maestral and South Move, in which, until October 1995, Croatian commanders and soldiers were killed – it did not lose the initiative”, President Milanović said in Okučani.
“Since the end of 1991 and in operations Flash, Storm, Maestral and South Move, the Croatian Army was on the initiative, gloriously ending the war. Croatia suffered losses at the very end of the war because of the political projects of other states, first and foremost the U.S.A., the arrival at Banja Luka, the losses of the Croatian Army. That is what ended the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina, not the American bombing but the arrival of the Croatian Army at Manjača and finally the informal capitulation of Bosnian Serbs, Ratko Mladić and Karadžić, the agreement to negotiate and the lifting of the siege of Sarajevo”, the President added.
“I am not for ideologizing history, I find it dangerous, but children should be taught that, those are the facts. Once again glory and honour to those who are here, more than fifty of them, who laid down their lives for Croatia because they were within reach of freedom and victory, but did not live to see it”, the President said in concluding his address after marking the 27th anniversary of Military and Police Operation “Flash”.
Alongside President Milanović were the Head of the Office of the President Orsat Miljenić, 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 Rear Admiral Predrag Stipanović, the Chief of the General Staff of the Croatian Armed Forces Admiral Robert Hranj, Deputy Chief of Staff of the CAF Lieutenant General Siniša Jurković, Commander of the Croatian Ground Forces Lieutenant General Boris Šerić, Commander of the Support Command Lieutenant General Mladen Fuzul, Deputy commander of the Croatian Ground Forces Major general Tihomir Kundid, Commander of the Croatian Air Force Brigadier general Michael Križanec, Commander of the Guards Armoured Mechanized Brigade (GOMBR) of the Croatian Ground Forces Brigadier general Mijo Validžić, Commander of the Guards Mechanized Brigade (GMBR) of the Croatian Army Brigadier general Dražen Ressler, Commander of the Croatian Army Training and Doctrine Command (ZOD) Brigadier general Željko Ljubas, Commander of the Special Forces Command (ZSS) Colonel Ivan Miloš and Commander of the Intelligence Regiment of the General Staff of the Croatian Armed Forces Lieutenant colonel Zvonimir Rogić.
PHOTO: Office of the President of the Republic of Croatia / Ana Marija Katić