The President of the Republic of Croatia, Zoran Milanovic, participated yesterday in marking the 31st anniversary of the establishment of the 103rd Croatian Defense Council (HVO) Brigade in Derventa, which he awarded with the Order of Nikola Subic Zrinjski, and said that the Dayton Peace Agreement is still very important and that Croatia will defend it.
“I awarded the 103rd HVO Brigade because it deserves it and because their contribution is unforgettable, great. It is difficult to describe it in words. 650 people died. Over 100 of your Muslim comrades, who would today be called Bosniaks, died. I note with regret and a little sadness that they don’t care too much about it. It’s a big sacrifice,” Milanovic said in a speech in the crypt of the Church of St. George, where he previously attended the holy mass.
The Dayton Agreement pleased some, but disappointed others, “but it didn’t work out any other way,” the Croatian president said.
“I think it is important for the sake of Croatian history that we underline some things and conclude if possible. In Croatian corridors, pubs, beer bars, political bazaar, Zagreb promenade, when Posavina is mentioned, most people, especially those who have nothing to do with it, will say it was treason,” Milanovic said.
He doesn’t see it that way and considers it a miracle that Posavina and Derventa defended themselves for several months. People from Croatia also fought in Posavina, and at that time it was a politically very problematic decision, he said.
“Croatia exposed itself a lot, that is, the people who led it, Tudjman and his associates, and they should be recognized for that,” he said.
Milanovic believes that these were necessary and the only correct decisions. The Dayton Peace Agreement is still very important because it preserves and guarantees the balance of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) and the status of Croats, he said, and added that “whoever interferes in it and gets carried away with the idea of mastering something around it, is not on our side and we will oppose them”, Klix.ba reports.
E.Dz.
