President Milanović in Tomislavgrad Tells Croats of Bosnia and Herzegovina: We are waiting for you, we are waiting for the entire BiH to be in European Union
“After ten years of Croatia’s membership in the European Union, what do we have? Well, we have something, it is not that we are complaining. It helps us so that in a way we are also helping you in Bosnia and Herzegovina, but we want more. We do not want it to be a glass bead game in which we will get an amount of money for some things that do not stand for new value, new money, and money is power. A nation that has no access to resources, whose wallet is empty, is a weak nation and someone will take advantage of it. The people of this region, of this country have learned very well what that means”, the President of the Republic Zoran Milanović said in Tomislavgrad on Saturday, and added: “We are waiting for you, for the entire Bosnia and Herzegovina, and until that moment comes, you should know that you are a part of us”.
President Milanović attended a ceremony marking the 31st anniversary of the formation of the “King Tomislav” Brigade, and, on the occasion, bestowed the “Order of Nikola Šubić Zrinski” upon the “King Tomislav” Brigade for the displayed valour of its members in the Homeland War.
“This is your homeland and together we will fight using peaceful means with the help of those in Croatia who can and want you to be treated with respect, as equals, to enjoy the same rights, the same symbolic rights because the election of the representatives of Croats in the BiH Presidency is symbolic. It’s a matter of respect and recognition of the other. Recognition of the fact that Croatian brigades from Croatia and BiH alike liberated Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1995, and paved the way for the Dayton Agreement”, President Milanović stated at the ceremony.
He stressed that the symbolism of the “King Tomislav Brigade” is important because it unites the people in one nation that has been in the making for centuries, and the Croats of BiH deserve respect and equal rights. “That is a common heart, a mutual effort, that is the fight for Croatia and the status of BiH, therefore the Croats of BiH deserve respect and equal rights. The people from the “King Tomislav” Brigade participated and joined the ranks of the Croatian Defence Council which, along with the participation of Croatian brigades, succeeded in making the enemy give up and recognize that it is weaker. Of course, in cooperation with the Army of BiH, and this must be known. Present-day BiH exists on account of that”, President Milanović noted.
In his address at the ceremony, he reminded that the region of Duvno played an exceptional role during the war, a fact supported by the more than 3,000 defenders who defended and liberated it. “A small number of good people defended our country and your regions in Herzeg-Bosnia, in Bosnia and Herzegovina”, he noted, adding that the majority of people during the wartime 1990s enjoyed the relative comfort and security of their homes and jobs in Croatia, thanks to the bravery and sacrifice of a small number of right people, including the members of the “King Tomislav” Brigade.
President Milanović reminded of the speech of the first wartime President of Croatia in Tomislavgrad in 1993. “Croatia in 1993 was on the threshold of isolation and was in a very difficult situation. Here and then President Tuđman, the first President and wartime President of Croatia, reminded you of the danger of extremism, of the danger of division among us, he talked about the danger of the pressure by the international community that did not leave us alone for the next 20 years. So, from sanctions and the fact that nobody helped us in the war, we came to the point that during the following 15 years, until Croatia’s accession to the European Union, we had to explain whether we were war criminals or not”, he underlined.
Prior to the ceremony, President Milanović and his delegation laid a wreath at the Memorial to the Fallen Defenders. In President Milanović’s delegation were the Special Adviser to the President of the Republic for Homeland War Veterans Marijan Mareković, the Ambassador of the Republic of Croatia to Bosnia and Herzegovina Ivan Sabolić, the Croatian Consul in Livno Tomislav Vrdoljak, and retired General Ljubo Ćesić.
PHOTO: Office of the President of the Republic of Croatia / Ana Marija Katić