Croatia observing Independence Day

Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic on Sunday led the state leadership in honouring those killed for the country by laying wreaths at Zagreb's Mirogoj cemetery on the occasion of Independence Day, saying October 8 was a reminder to continue working on strengthening the social system by respecting universal values, the rule of law and economic freedoms for the benefit of all citizens of the free Croatia.

Today, 26 years after the Croatian parliament declared independence at a secret session, we are gathered to once again show respect for the then state leadership as well as all Croatian defenders who gave their lives for Croatia's freedom, Plenkovic told reporters after the wreath-laying.

The decision of 8 October 1991 was the operationalisation of decisions adopted on 25 June 1991, and even the Brijuni moratorium, after the Yugoslav army (JNA), by targeting the government building, tried to wipe out Croatia's state leadership, and at that moment there were no more dilemmas, he said.

October 8, 1991 paved the way for international recognition, the establishment of diplomatic relations with numerous countries, and at that time, at the height of the Serbian and Great Serbia aggression against Croatia, in which the JNA played a huge part, Croatia was going through its toughest days, Plenkovic said.

"The international recognition on 15 January 1992 paved the way for freedom, democracy, independence and the realisation of all those ambitions that generations of Croats had. That's why we must continue to work so that our society functions well, so that we respect universal values, strengthen the rule of law, strengthen economic freedoms, and so that all our citizens feel good in the free Croatia."

Asked to comment on the opposition's accusations that it was not invited to parliament to an Independence Day ceremony, Plenkovic said the ceremony, including Open Day in parliament and a change of the guard outside, was open to the public, including the opposition.

Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandrokovic said that by attempting to kill Croatia's state leadership on 7 October 1991, a day before Croatia declared its independence and severed all state ties with the former Yugoslavia, JNA aircraft "showed the criminal character of that regime, showed the collusion between the JNA and the Slobodan Milosevic regime, showed what they were willing to do to prevent Croatia's independence."

"Therefore the comments coming from Belgrade recently about a civil war, about shared guilt, are simply unacceptable to us. We believe the Homeland War, and this is a historical fact, was liberating, legal and legitimate. We are grateful to (Croatia's first) President Tudjman, to Croatian defenders, for the fact that we have our own state," Jandrokovic said after the wreath-laying.

Asked about the fact that the opposition was not invited to the observance of Independence Day, he said that during Friday's sitting in parliament he invited his colleagues to join in the observance of the holiday, first at Mirogoj and then in parliament.

Text: Hina

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