As part of the Government of the Republic of Croatia’s Assistance Program for the return of Croats to Bosnia and Herzegovina, 119 contracts worth 2,531,500 euros were awarded in Vitez. The contracts include infrastructure renewal projects, support for economic activities, cultural, educational and religious institutions, as well as social programs.
The organizer is the Ministry of Spatial Planning, Construction and State Property of the Republic of Croatia, and the Program has been continuously implemented since 2001, and has a key role in creating sustainable conditions for the life of Croats in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The ceremony of awarding the contract was attended, among others, by the President of the Croatian National Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Dragan Čović, who pointed out in his address that this Program, in addition to financial aid, also represents a strong message of the unity of the Croatian people in the two countries.
“The Republic of Croatia perceives Bosnia and Herzegovina as a strategic interest, and then, of course, the Croatian people, who must remain constitutionally equal with the other two nations until the end. Through these projects, we are strengthening that infrastructure, creating an environment for our people to return. The intense departure of the last 20 year, right after the war, from these areas, not only from Central Bosnia, the environment is changing in the world, so we have to welcome these people, but through this kind of infrastructure, I think we can do it in the best way to work,” Covic said.
The Croatian National Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina announced that this continues the long-standing practice of the Government of the Republic of Croatia aimed at strengthening the survival of the Croatian people in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
It was pointed out that the aid program of the Government of the Republic of Croatia is implemented in cooperation with the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs and the Central State Office for Croats outside the Republic of Croatia, and aims to create preconditions for the sustainable return and stay of Croats in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The ceremony was attended by many Croatian and BiH officials, representatives of the executive and legislative authorities in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Republic of Croatia, representatives of religious, cultural and economic life, as well as numerous other guests.
