President Milanović Awards Charter of the Republic of Croatia to the Association of Croatian American Professionals
Together with his wife Prof. Dr. Sanja Musić Milanović, the President of the Republic Zoran Milanović attended a gala dinner organized by the Association of Croatian American Professionals (ACAP).
At the gala dinner, President Milanović awarded the Charter of the Republic of Croatia to the Association of Croatian American Professionals. The Charter was presented to the Association for its role in the development of an international network of professionals of Croatian origin in the diaspora and for its special contribution in fostering their mutual ties, as well as its role in connecting Croatia and the Croatian diaspora, for providing knowledge and experiences, for strengthening education, science and entrepreneurship, for providing outstanding humanitarian aid and medical aid to hospitals, and for organizing scholarships for young physicians from the Republic of Croatia. The award was accepted by ACAP President Dr. Steven Pavletic.
“I appreciate you selecting Zagreb, the capital of our beloved and only homeland, and my hometown, for the venue of your conference. I understand this is the third day of your proceedings and your conference must have been successful,” President Milanović said at the gala dinner held at the end of the three-day conference.
“You are Croatian-American professionals. Professionals are people of respect, high social standing and relevance in society. From the Croatian perspective, that is something we need. We are a small nation. We are still not as wealthy or affluent enough as we would wish to be and this certainly must be our goal,” said President Milanović.
“We’ve been in the EU for the last 10 years and after this period I could sum it up by saying ‘Curb your enthusiasm!’ because there is no room for excessive enthusiasm, but for a solid, grounded assessment of what we really achieved. What we lack are businesses, activities and professions which bring real extra value and extract the most from the capital and from the factors of production – in a nutshell, what makes a country wealthy. Why not be rich in the final analysis, and thus independent and more self-reliant. That is what statehood is all about, apart from all the basic elements,” the President told those present.
“I wish you success in your professions, especially to the younger people whom I’ve seen around quite a lot – people who contribute to their destinies and their families and their businesses first. But, also from the perspective of Croatia’s standing, people who contribute to Croatia’s ambitions and goals, because we might not necessarily be fantasists, but we aim high. And we should be aiming high – this should be the model and working principle of this country,” concluded President Milanović.
The Association of Croatian American Professionals held its annual conference “Connecting the Doers: Taking Croatia to the Next Level” in Zagreb. The conference was dedicated to the potentials of the Croatian economy, networking of Croatian professionals from abroad and cooperation with Croatia. The conference, which was organized for the first time in Zagreb, brought in foreign investors – leading entrepreneurs and managers of Croatian origin, as well as distinguished speakers. During the three-day conference on 6-8 July at the Sheraton Zagreb Hotel, leading U.S. and Croatian entrepreneurs discussed the business, health and tourism sectors in Croatia and the world.
Speaking at the gala dinner were ACAP Zagreb Chapter President Don Markusic, ACAP Secretary Lidija Ortloff, ACAP President Dr. Steven Pavletic and Head of the Croatian National Tourist Board’s International Cooperation Department Marina Šimunić. President Milanović was accompanied by the Head of the Office of the President Orsat Miljenić and Adviser to the President of the Republic for Foreign and European Policy Neven Pelicarić.
PHOTO: Office of the President of the Republic of Croatia / Tomislav Bušljeta