President Milanović: Vukovar mother Kata Šoljić experienced a tragedy never before experienced in our history

The President of the Republic Zoran Milanović attended in Vukovar today the unveiling of a monument to Kata Šoljić and her sons. He thanked the organizers and benefactors for erecting the monument and noted that they did a good thing, but that the job’s not finished.

“What you’re doing is a struggle against oblivion. It’s an ongoing struggle in a person’s life because one’s greatest fear is fear from the horror of nothingness, when you are no longer, when nobody speaks of you anymore. Kata Šoljić is a mother who experienced a tragedy never before experienced in the history of our culture and identity. Our culture and our identity are European. We are a European people and nation”, President Milanović stated.

In his address he also referred to the monument to the fallen Vukovar defenders in Kupres, Bosnia and Herzegovina recently desecrated. “In the heart of the Kupres plateau is a monument to Vukovar defenders, near a road in the middle of nowhere: a monument to the Vukovar defenders who had survived the siege of Vukovar in 1991 and immediately came to the rescue of their brothers and fellow combatants in Kupres in 1992, and perished. Fate decreed that they would survive Vukovar, and perish there. That monument was destroyed a few days ago, under cover of darkness some very brave guys stopped and showed what they thought of it”, President Milanović noted, confident that repairing the monument in Kupres will be the next task for the organizers and initiators of the monument to Kata Šoljić.

We must not lose enthusiasm. You created the country – it is good, and especially dear because it is ours. We have no other and nobody but us really cares about it. Others either do not care about it or have something against it. That country besides being dear to us must be good, must be healthy, must be successful and an instrument to achieve our goals. These goals have always been noble, modest, simple, elementary human needs. Croatia fought for this, you fought for this, Kata Soljić’s sons have fallen for this”, President Milanović noted in concluding his address.

The monument to Kata Šoljić, symbol of tragedy and suffering in the Homeland War and her fallen sons Niko, Ivo, Mijo and Mato, is the work of academic sculptor Veno Jerković, and was erected thanks to the 4^th Guards Brigade Association, “Oluja” Association of Podstrana, the City of Vukovar and the Municipality of Podstrana and retired lieutenant colonel Mirko Čondić, who initiated the erection of the monument.

Addressing the gathering besides President Milanović were the president of the 4^th Guards Brigade Association Borislav Lapenda, the president of the Council for the Defenders of the City of Vukovar Tomislav Josić, on behalf of wartime physicians Homeland War volunteer and member of the 4^th Guards Brigade academician Mirna Šitum, daughter of Kata Šoljić Marija Šolijć Barišić, first commander of the defense of Vukovar lieutenant colonel Ivica Arbanas, project coordinator lieutenant colonel Mirko Čondić, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Croatian Veterans’ Affairs and delegate of the Prime Minister Tomo Medved, and member of the Croatian Parliament and delegate of the Speaker of the Croatian Parliament Marijana Balić.

PHOTO: Office of the President of the Republic of Croatia / Marko Beljan