President Milanović in Knin: No ties to foreign centres of power will bring us happiness; Croatia depends on its people and their readiness to sacrifice for the benefit of their Homeland
The President of the Republic Zoran Milanović, Commander in Chief of the Croatian Armed Forces, attended a ceremony in Knin to commemorate Victory and Homeland Thanksgiving Day, Croatian Defenders Day, and the 29th anniversary of the Military and Police Operation “Storm.”
The full speech given by the President of the Republic follows:
“Croatian defenders, families of fallen Croatian heroes, disabled veterans, Mr. Speaker of Parliament, Mr. Prime Minister, General Barić, and all other distinguished guests,
The Republic of Croatia is celebrating for the 29th year its most important war victory in its modern history, and the courage and skill of its soldiers who brought us freedom, peace and sovereignty, and an awareness that as a nation we are forever indebted to the men and women who sacrificed their lives and health in order to crush the enemy army. This, of course, also refers to our brothers and sisters from Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Storm would not have been possible without the heroic participation of the Croatian Defence Council (HVO), and without taking control of Kupres, Dinara and BiH in the hinterland of Knin in the months and days before Storm. Those operations were a painstaking process of creating preconditions for the most effective option to liberate the occupied territory here in the south, where everything began. These facts oblige the Croatian state more firmly than even the otherwise clear constitutional provisions.
We also celebrate the wisdom, determination, and the needed cunning of the political leadership and military commanders who patiently awaited the best strategy and the right moment to strike, delivering the final blow to the rebel para-state established under the Milošević regime and effectively controlled by Belgrade in all key areas. One can hardly say that everything was perfect, but when we delve deeper into the concept of leadership and command in the Homeland War, we see that one of the most important principles of command in the Homeland War was care for the lives of our soldiers, who were few in the beginning. A few good men – for there were few, and more came later. This was the case all the time, and no matter how big, tragic and irreparable each loss was in itself, people were taken care of. Our losses in the war were relatively tolerable and were a result of precisely such an attitude towards the army. Regardless of political or ideological orientation, we must maintain deep human and political respect for it.
The final liberating operations were preceded by years of training and armament in very unfavourable international circumstances. The help of today’s Western allies was sporadic. We were not given anything for free. I’m not lamenting or accusing anyone, I’m saying this for the sake of historical truth, as well as so that we are aware that only we truly care about our country. No one is advocating isolationism or distrusting the values that place us within the sphere of Western civilization, and we do not need to prove this to anyone on this occasion. However, I am aware of how the world operates and what past experiences teach us. No one will help us unless we ourselves invest maximum energy and intelligence in building a wealthier, more advanced, and safer country.
Strategic partnerships and alliances are welcome, in all international organizations and associations of which we are members, but this is above all just a welcome supplement. The foundation is our unwavering belief that Croatia depends on its people and their readiness to sacrifice themselves for the benefit of their country, as well as their readiness to stand by one another in uncertain times – and not just in uncertain times, although the present times are uncertain – despite their differences and disagreements, so that no one is left to their own devices and helpless.
This is a precondition for our aspiration, which is to be respected, for our views and principles to be acknowledged, and for our specific interests to be considered. This applies particularly to Bosnia and Herzegovina, which would not be free without the Croatian Army and the Croatian Defence Council (HVO), and in 1995 the enemy would not have been defeated under any other circumstances. If we tie our present and future too much to any sponsor, we will turn into an instrument for the accomplishment of somebody else’s interests, a condition not unknown in our history, and in such a scenario our people can only lose in the long run. The real or alleged ties, of any of us, to foreign centres of power, will not bring us happiness; it is an illusion to think that general well-being can be achieved by using shortcuts or connections. It cannot.
We should be sceptical towards anyone who tries to convince us that we can achieve prosperity and security through someone’s grace, without work and without assuming responsibility for the path to be taken – our unique path, for no two are the same. True happiness for our Homeland will not come from outside or from anyone who does not understand our specificities and identity, our history and mentality.
We are not celebrating Operation Storm in order to gloat over the defeat of the other side, over innocent victims or any victims. We sympathise with every family that lost their dear ones. We are not celebrating in order to provoke or spite anyone. We are not interested in that. We do not want to promote militarism or force a warrior spirit on our citizens. That is unnecessary. We are here to celebrate our victory and to remember how much blood, suffering and determination it took to resist subjugation and to never forget that we must not trade our freedom for any treasures of this world.
To that extent, the celebration of victory is a source of our self-confidence and self-awareness. It renews our faith in our ability to achieve great feats and accomplishments when we understand our interests and commit ourselves fully to preserving the values that unite us. Let us stay united and fear nothing!
Long live our Croatia!”
In addition to President Milanović, the main ceremony featured speeches by Andrej Plenković, Prime Minister of the Republic of Croatia, and Gordan Jandroković, Speaker of the Croatian Parliament. Retired General Slavko Barić spoke on behalf of the Croatian defenders.
Before the main ceremony, President Milanović laid a wreath and lit a candle at the “Storm ‘95” Croatian victory monument. The President was accompanied by Orsat Miljenić, Head of the Office of the President of the Republic; Lieutenant General Tihomir Kundid, Chief of the General Staff of the Croatian Armed Forces; Bartol Šimunić, Head of the Cabinet of the President of the Republic; Ivica Olujić, Adviser to the President of the Republic for Defense; Dragan Lozančić, Adviser to the President of the Republic for National Security; Marijan Mareković, Special Adviser to the President of the Republic for Homeland War Veterans; Brigadier General Ivica Kranjčević, Head of the Military Office in the Cabinet for Defense and National Security of the Office of the President; Colonel Vlado Čulina, Aide-de-Camp to the President of the Republic; and Lieutenant Colonel Siniša Marić, Secretary of the Military Office in the Cabinet for Defense and National Security.
At the wreath-laying and candle-lighting ceremony, the President of the Republic and Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces was joined by Marijo Ćaćić, Mayor of Knin, Marko Jelić, Šibenik-Knin County Prefect, and senior officers of the Croatian Army.
PHOTO: Office of the President of the Republic of Croatia / Dario Andrišek