President Milanović in Hvar: The bond between the people and the Croatian Navy must not be broken

The President of the Republic Zoran Milanović attended a special session of the Hvar Town Council, where he extended his congratulations to residents on the occasion of Hvar Municipal Day and the Feast of Saint Stephen, telling them to continue building on what nature had given them, which is particular and unique. “This is objectively one of the most beautiful places in the world, keep it that way. And it is not just yours, it is the heritage of humanity. Be persistent, keen and selfish, by focusing on yourself and not harming others,” said the President in Hvar.

Ahead of the special session, President Milanović visited the Croatian Navy ship “Cetina” anchored in the port of Hvar. The ship was opened to the public for viewing on the occasion of Municipal Day and children from the primary school in Hvar toured it today as well. “These are children whose fathers went to fight for the freedom and liberation of Croatia. The connection and bond of the Croatian Navy with the people is something that is bound and must not be broken. We must do everything to ensure that at least every five years such ships sail into Hvar and similar small, beautiful ports in our Dalmatia and the Croatian Littoral,” said the President.

President Milanović also told the residents of Hvar to use European funds because they will only be there for a short time. “It is not meant to be a system where the less developed countries take all the time from Germany and the Netherlands, who applaud and rejoice with you. It’s not meant to be like that. It’s intended above all to serve them, and us as much as the statistics allow. And according to these statistics, you can see today that Croatia is slightly behind Italy in terms of purchasing power parity. That won’t last long,” said the President.

President Milanović warned that “Europe is entering recession and we are following in its footsteps 99.9%, it is a question of months.” “The largest economies are entering recession. Why they are entering recession is another matter. These are decisions over which we have no influence and cannot have influence, yet they concern us. We can have both benefit and harm from all of this. Harm from wars, crises, energy prices, due to decisions being made over which we have no influence, and it is better for us to mind and stick to our own business,” he said.

Commenting on the possible recession, President Milanović said that the tourist season would be somewhat different in that case, so we should work and save for times that may not be as good as the current ones. “We have to face ourselves and the people with that (prospect), it’s a reality. We must keep and nurture peace. The way of life that we have developed and perfected to a certain extent here in Croatia – on which we base our earnings and our legitimate expectations of good earnings – functions only in conditions of peace and stability, when people have excess money to spend on something that is pure luxury. Living here is a luxury and you have developed an awareness of that, and you are dealing with that in a smart and noble way,” President Milanović concluded.

Addressing the residents of Hvar at the special session, apart from President Milanović, were the President of the Town Council Jurica Miličić, Mayor of Hvar Rikardo Novak, Deputy Split-Dalmatia County Prefect and delegate of the County Prefect and the Prime Minister Stipe Čogelja, as well as delegate of the Speaker of the Croatian Parliament MP Danica Baričević. Annual awards were presented at the special session of the Town Council to the most deserving individuals for their contribution to the town’s development.

Prior to the special session, President Milanović toured the DBM-81 minelayer “Cetina” of the Croatian Navy, in the company of Mayor Rikardo Novak. The ship was built in the Split shipyard and has been in operation since 1993. Its primary task includes transporting people and equipment, but it can also perform minelaying.

In the Homeland War, the ship carried supplies on the first line of defense during Operation Maslenica and participated in the transport of troops and forces in the southern Adriatic. In peacetime, the ship has been involved in the Croatian Navy’s activities and exercises in the framework of NATO and has transported members of the Croatian Army to locations where the Armed Forces are participating in international operations, and to international military exercises in the Mediterranean Sea.

President Milanović was accompanied in Hvar by the Adviser to the President of the Republic for Human Rights and Civil Society Melita Mulić.

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