The President of the Republic of Croatia, Zoran Milanovic, took part in a ceremony in Livno on Saturday to mark the 30th anniversary of the defense of Livno and the Livno region, saying that there is no country that wants Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) to join the European Union (EU) as much as Croatiawants.
”For sentimental reasons and if you want for purely selfish reasons, because, namely, selfishness is an important element on the path of nations. I am doing a lot because, from my Croatian presidential position, it is in the interest of the community I represent,” told Milanovic, as reported by the Office of the Croatian President, BHRT writes.
Also, he referred to the offer to sign a letter from the presidents of Eastern and Central European countries requesting that Ukraine be granted EU candidate status immediately, which he said he agreed with, but not without BiH.
”I say – yes, but not without BiH. I know that after this, my or our ideas, motives, and urges will be suspicious to some, but believe me, breathing for European BiH is much stronger, much wider in Zagreb than in most of Sarajevo. Don’t forget that, this is important to us. It is a security, emotional issue for us. Be unique to the extent that Croats in Croatia cannot and maybe should not be. We are safe and we pour our security to you as a gift of the heart, not as a loan, but something that is in our common interest,” Milanovic pointed out.
He mentioned that Croatia has never had more peaceful, and efficient instruments at its disposal to help not only Croats in BiH but also Serbs and Bosniaks.
”Here, 30 years ago, Croatian BiH, European BiH, and in a way – regardless of the fact that the Sarajevo armistice was already in force -the Croatian coast was defended with the courage and skill of a few. This is something that Croatia cannot forget,” said the President of the Republic of Croatia and greeted those present who participated in the 1994/1995 battles. “these are the people who were here when it was hardest and we all owe them our gratitude, too, because it was a joint Croatian effort.”
”Now battles are not ahead of you, agreements are waiting for you, not everything is lost and I will do everything to make sure that we don’t lose everything, to be represented by the people you choose because democracy, forcing democracy by force, passes as it did in Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, in all those countries and societies that are not ready for some things at the moment. You can’t skip some things in development because it’s not good for you. Bosnia had a war and Croatia had a war, some things can’t happen overnight. If there was no war, Croatia would be one of the most developed new EU members. We are where we are, strong enough to help you, strong enough to respect others! Long live European BiH,” concluded the Croatian president.
After the solemn session, Milanovic laid a wreath and lit a candle in front of the Monument to those who fell for the freedom of the Croatian people.
E.Dz.
