President Milanović on the occasion of the Day of the International Recognition of the Republic of Croatia and the Day of the Peaceful Reintegration of the Croatian Danube Region: Guaranteeing security and peace for Croatia is the first and principal task of all of us who have been entrusted with the responsibility of leading the state
On this day in 1992, the Republic of Croatia was internationally recognized. It was the confirmation of Croatian statehood by the modern world because the state of the Croatian people had existed and had been recognized centuries ago. This recognition of Croatian sovereignty and independence came after a just and defensive Homeland War. Croatia’s struggle for freedom and independence was unique, not one European Union member had a path similar to Croatia’s. Our responsibility today and in the future is for this not to be forgotten; we must preserve the truth about the Homeland War and pass it on to coming generations, not with the aim of elevating ourselves above others, but for everyone to know how Croatia defended and liberated itself.
International recognition in such circumstances was also a moral obligation from the majority of the international community, which left Croatia on its own when times were hardest. We do not owe anything to anyone and we do not hold grudges against anyone because we knew then, as we know today, that only we truly care for our country and for the people who live in it. In our present-day world, which has changed dramatically since then, the Croatian state therefore unconditionally reserves the right to its own position on every international issue and unconditionally reserves the right to decide on matters that concern our national and state interests. Guaranteeing security and peace for Croatia is the first and principal task of all of us who have been entrusted with the responsibility of leading the state.
Just as we must express our gratitude for the international recognition of Croatia on this memorial day first and foremost to the Croatian defenders, so we must also pay tribute to all those who had a part in liberating the last inch of Croatian territory with no casualties. The peaceful reintegration of the Croatian Danube Region in 1998 showed that in the Homeland War we only wanted to defend what is ours and live peacefully and build our country for the benefit of the Croatian people and all its citizens who consider Croatia their homeland. And to be an equal member in international alliances with the same obligations and rights as all other member states, no more and no less.