President Milanović tells new officers: The Homeland War has made the Croatian Army unique in Europe
The President of the Republic of Croatia and Commander in Chief of the Croatian Armed Forces Zoran Milanović attended the promotion of new Croatian Armed Forces officers and presented first officer’s ranks. At the ceremony held in the “Dr. Franjo Tuđman” Croatian Defence Academy, President Milanović told the Croatian Armed Forces’ new officers that they have chosen a difficult and unique job that restrains and limits a person’s autonomy and self-awareness because orders have to be followed, and hierarchy respected.
“This is a choice I deeply respect. Your job is to do everything to avoid war and armed conflicts in which people die, but if and when it happens – you are first to act. This is a unique job, calling and way of life and therefore as your commander in chief I am grateful to you primarily for having chosen this job”, he noted.
Since Croatia is a small country, President Milanović underlined that we must be aware of our possibilities, our range and our genuine interests. In this sense I send a message to new officers to use NATO standards for their personal progress and the well-being of our country. “NATO is an alliance and an association we belong to. However, our primary interests are the region where we have our interests, our range, our people and other peoples who live in Croatia, and we have our people outside of the Republic of Croatia. It’s not the Republic of Croatia but hundreds of thousands of Croats live there and that is our interest”, President Milanović said, referring to Croats in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and underlined that the rights of Croats in Bosnia and Herzegovina are vital to us and we can exert influence on them in a civilised and democratic way.
“Our area is the Mediterranean area, a coastline for which dozens of our people have been educated after many years. It’s wonderful to see. It’s part of our identity”, the President noted, adding that – in spite of the fact that our land forces and airforce defended and guaranteed Croatian freedom, independence and Croatian pride – the Croatian sea and coast are part of our identity.
“Those of you who have received certificates of excellence today, recognising that you are capable, willing and skilled to do a complex job, you should know and keep repeating that Croatia won the war on its own, with nobody’s help. There were those who harmed us more than helped us. We don’t hold a grudge against them. We have ourselves, allies, people, nations, states and alliances with which we will work and with which we feel a certain affiliation and loyalty, but the Croatian war was won by a few good people. That’s why our path is unique”, President Milanović noted, adding that the Croatian experience and the path that Croatia passed in the 1990s is unique in Europe and no other European Union member had such a path.
President Milanović stated that the Homeland War – in addition to being on our own, unarmed and liberating the country without a clear mandate of those who decide – created a unique, special and indeed different army out of the Croatian Army. “This is what makes you different and continue the tradition of those who indeed were different. To their glory and to you with good wishes – loyal to the Homeland”, President Milanović said in concluding his address at the ceremony held in the Croatian Defence Academy.
On the basis of his constitution and legal powers, the President of the Republic and Commander in Chief of the Croatian Armed Forces has reached a Decision on conferring the rank of Second Lieutenant/Ensign of the Croatian Armed Forces upon 70 cadets (24 women and 46 men) who successfully defended their final papers for the graduate and undergraduate university study programmes of the 16th and 17th generations in Naval Studies, Military Engineering and Military Leadership and Management. Alongside President Milanović at the presentation of ranks were the Chief of the General Staff of the Croatian Armed Forces Admiral Robert Hranj and the Deputy commander of the “Dr. Franjo Tuđman“ Defence Academy Brigadier general Blaž Beretin.
Receiving the rank of Second Lieutenant/Ensign of the Croatian Armed Forces are: Nikolina Bićanić, Leona Biki, Anđela Ćurić, Tea Kovačević, Viktorija Novački, Jelena Plivelić, Marija Vidić, Ante Čondić, Ivan Grgić, Ivan Latinčić, Robin Leon Lengel, Matej Ljubić, Toni Paraman, Marko Pedić, Dominik Peter, Franjo Rora, Nikola Stipić, Filip Tuzlak, Antonija Buha, Martina Dukić, Antonela Duran, Andrea Šimić, Matej Crnjak, Josip Dabro, Ernest Inkret, Kristijan Josipović, Vid Marković, Marko Tokić, Ante Vučković, Valentina Bartulović, Antonia Galić, Davor Delać, Mihael Kovačević, Jakov Štimac, Marko Borna Zrno, Jelena Jukić, Sara Katarina Katić, Sofija Kovač, Kristina Vrabec, Ivana Zeko, Marin Batur, Jure Biočić, Mihael Jurković, Jakov Radić, Matej Šarić, Josip Zorić, Ana Đarmati, Katarina Raiz, Luka Barberić, Zdravko Čučić, Leon Maršić, Ivan Trlin, Lucija Marijić, Andreja Tomašević, Stjepan Bjelobrk, Marko Đerđa, Dominik Josić, Branimir Slišković, Mislav Šašek, Mihaela Dragun, Gabriela Pavlek, Matija Posavčić, Ivica Strnak, Ivan Agičić, Ivan Ante Juričić, Marin Koljanin, Lučano Mišlov, Dominik Perkušić, David Volarević and Petar Vukšić.
Present alongside President Milanović at the ceremony in the Croatian Defence Academy were the Adviser to the President for Defence Ivica Olujić, the Head of the Military Office of the Cabinet for Defence and National Security Read Admiral Predrag Stipanović, and the Aide-de-camp to the President of the Republic Colonel Vlado Čulina.
PHOTO: Office of the President of the Republic of Croatia / Dario Andrišek