President Milanović sends message to Serbia: Don’t expect Croatian support for EU as long as Croatian generals are being indicted
“Serbia must decide where it belongs. Serbia cannot pretend to want to join the European Union and have relations with Russia at the same time, albeit legitimate, but that are not conducive to EU accession, and Serbia has to decide. As long as Serbia plans to indict Croatian generals for events in 1995 on the territory of a third country, Bosnia and Herzegovina, it will not have our support, it must realize that it won’t get it, and we can’t tolerate that”, the President of the Republic Zoran Milanović stated at a ceremony marking the 31st anniversary of the international recognition of the Republic of Croatia and the 25th anniversary of the completion of the peaceful reintegration of the Croatian Danube Region, and the conclusion of the UNTAES mandate.
In addressing the gathering, President Milanović thanked and congratulated the Croatian defenders and in particular those who participated in the peaceful reintegration, Vesna Škare Ožbolt and Ivica Vrkić. He regretted the absence of political representatives of Croatian Serbs at today’s event. “This story is about us, it is common to us. In the past 25 years, life has been peaceful and safe here, although not idyllic”, he noted.
In terms of Croatia’s path to freedom, statehood and independence, President Milanović underlined that Croatia acted according to the rule and as it should have. “Croatia embarked on its difficult and glorious journey of fighting for the state in impossible conditions and showed good will from the start, adopted the Constitutional Law on the Rights of National Minorities – which should have been adopted prior to recognition – which contains standards that essentially are non-existent in most of Europe. And then came the attacks, the war, Vukovar, recognition and the defence of Croatia, the defence of Bosnia and Herzegovina”, President Milanović highlighted, noting that no one came to Croatia’s aid.
“The war was won in 1995 thanks to the wisdom, courage and good organizational skills of a number of people, a small number of good people, and wartime president Dr. Tuđman. Croatia won in 1995 in a smart and quick way because there were no weapons. Care was taken for every human life”, the President stated, underlining that the decision on the peaceful reintegration of the Croatian Danube Region was smart and humane.
In this context he said that the greatest assistance was received from the United States underlining it was their operation that saved lives and enabled us to get what is ours. “That is the only thing I consider a friendly and active contribution and assistance to the Croatian side. As far as friends and allies in the past thirty years are concerned, I can name only Germany, Austria and Hungary, nobody else. The attitude towards Croatia was ever non-existent and unworthy from the very beginning. Not only were we under an embargo, but they threatened us with sanctions on a daily basis, no one prompted us to launch the liberation of the entire so-called Krajina region. That was our decision, the decision of our leadership headed by the Commander in Chief of the time Dr. Tuđman and the military leadership that planned it. Our allies and friends were at best silent”, President Milanović stated.
As for the Homeland War, the President said that it was the hardest of all wars because it was a war of hatred and vengeance. “And after all that, in order to have enough wisdom, patience and tolerance to accept a normal life – two sides are needed. I invite all political representatives of Serbs to respect the Croatian state in their speeches. They don’t have to be servile and submissive, but they shouldn’t say that Operation Storm was ethnic cleansing, because it was not,” President Milanović noted in concluding his address.
Also speaking at the ceremony besides President Milanović were the Mayor of Vukovar Ivan Penava, former Adviser to the first Croatian President Dr. Franjo Tuđman and Chair of the National Committee for Restoring Trust during the Peaceful Integration Process of the Croatian Danube Region Vesna Škare Ožbolt, Vukovar-Srijem County-Prefect Damir Dekanić and Defence Minister and Prime Minister’s delegate Mario Banožić.
On the occasion of the 31st anniversary of the international recognition of the Republic of Croatia and the 25th anniversary of the completion of the peaceful reintegration of the Croatian Danube Region and the conclusion of the UNTAES mandate, the President of the Republic laid a wreath and light a candle in memory of the victims of the Homeland War at the Memorial in the Memorial Cemetery to the Homeland War Victims. Alongside President Milanović were the Adviser to the President for Human Rights and Civil Society Melita Mulić, the Special Adviser to the President for Homeland War Veterans Marijan Mareković, the Deputy Commander of the Croatian Army’s Guards Armoured Mechanized Brigade Colonel Davor Josip Babić and the Commander of the Engineering Battalion of the Guards Armoured Mechanized Brigade Lieutenant Colonel Ivan Liović.
PHOTO: Office of the President of the Republic of Croatia / Ana Marija Katić