President Milanović in Trogir: Croatia first of all needs to take care of itself, keeping the commitments we assumed

“In the complex times we live in, I think that every community needs to take care of itself, that Croatia should first of all take care of itself, but maintain a human, intelligent loyalty to others, to those for whom we took on commitments, but not go beyond that”, the President of the Republic Zoran Milanović stated today in Trogir at a special session of the Municipal Council of Trogir on the occasion of Municipality Day and the patron saint of the town, Saint John of Trogir.

Saying that Croatia has been a member of the European Union and NATO for a number of years, President Milanović said that this membership was our choice and that we are doing well. “We chose this at one moment in our history, one generation made this commitment, in my view fully conscious of what it joined and what the possible consequences could be”, the President noted, underlining that those are very difficult decisions after which it is never clear what lies ahead. “And that’s why some things have to be constantly questioned. This is healthy scepticism, not unbelief, deceitfulness, or meanness, but simply the national interest, the protection of what is ours – be it space, money, property, heritage, be it Croatian,” he added.

In his address, President Milanović compared the situation in Croatia and Europe in the 1990s saying that in 1990 Croatia entered a heroic but also a dark period, while in Europe and in the West it was a time of cheerfulness and optimism, a time of legitimate healthy expectations and a time of looking to a better future.

“Today, 35 years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, the times are not like then. Something is happening in the world, changes are taking place around us that concern us insofar as we have to observe them, we do not have to be in the front row, force ourselves where we really do not belong because we are simply too few. We see what consequences too much zeal and too much ambition can have in imposing one’s view of life on others. It is not up to us to impose ourselves on others and to explain to them – I am speaking from a Croatian perspective, not from Brussels – that there are other peoples and other cultures in Europe that are different from ours,” the President said.

Finally, he referred to Radić’s famous saying about geese in the fog. He said that the meaning of this saying was clear: “Do not go where we cannot see, where the space is hollow, where it is dim and the view is not clear”. “Let’s stick to our shores, let’s navigate near them like our ancestors, let’s know what the sphere of ​​international relations is, learn about it, study the winds and stick to our shore and our jobs,” President Milanović concluded.

Addressing the special session besides President Milanović were the president of the Municipal Council of Trogir Toni Zulum, the mayor of Trogir Ante Bilić and Split-Dalmatia Deputy County-prefect and delegate of the Prime Minister Stipe Čogelja. Annual awards and commendations were presented to the most deserving individuals and associations for their contribution to the development of the town.

Alongside President Milanović was the Adviser to the President for Human Rights and Civil Society Melita Mulić.

PHOTO: Office of the President of the Republic of Croatia / Tomislav Bušljeta