President Milanović Pays Tribute to Vukovar Defenders Killed in the Defense of Kupres
After attending a ceremony marking the 28th anniversary of the liberation of Kupres, the President of the Republic Zoran Milanović paid tribute to the fallen defenders of Vukovar who perished while defending Kupres. The President of the Republic lit a candle for the 15 defenders of Vukovar who lost their lives while defending Kupres at the Memorial in the Kupres field.
Kupres was under siege by the Yugoslav Army and Serbian paramilitary units on 10 April 1992. One hundred and sixty-seven Croatian defenders of Bosnia and Herzegovina perished while defending Kupres, including combatants from Vukovar, one of them being the son of General Blago Zadro, Robert Zadro.
During his working visit to Bosnia and Herzegovina, President Milanović also visited the “Kuća kosaca“ (Home of the Grass Mowers) and met with representatives of the “Kupreški kosci“ Association (Association of Grass Mowers of Kupres). The traditional custom of mowing grass on the Kupres plateau was inscribed on UNESCO’s Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
The tradition of grass mowing in Kupres dates from 1687, and the “Kupreški kosci” Association was founded with the goal of promoting and preserving the cultural heritage as an important component of the life of the residents of Kupres. President Milanović, in the company of the president of the “Kupreški kosci” Association Matko Čurković, toured the Home and viewed the photo exhibition.
PHOTO: Office of the President of the Republic of Croatia / Marko Beljan