Croatian Armed Forces mark their 24th anniversary

Offering his congratulations to the members of the Armed Forces, Prime Minister Zoran Milanovic said that their achievements over the past 24 years made them special in comparison to the world's best armies.

The Croatian Armed Forces on Thursday marked the 24th anniversary of their establishment at a ceremony held in Zagreb's "Vatroslav Lisinski" concert hall.

The government and civil society have a duty to create an atmosphere of peace in the country and the army's role is to participate in that process as much as the Constitution allows it. But the army's purpose is also to be ready and strong "so that those who have evil intentions towards Croatia are afraid," said Milanovic.

Milanovic said that he would be happier if his government had been able to invest more in the army.

When we say that Croatia is among the top 10 NATO countries in terms of allocations from GDP for defence, that still does not mean 2%, Milanovic said, adding that this was not enough.

He said that the Croatian Army would keep its navy, whose ships would be built by Croatian shipyards and which would continue to be given what it needed to be "an elite service."

After years of participation of Croatian troops in international peace missions, from Afghanistan to Syria, it is time to slowly draw the line and that the Croatian Army dedicated itself to its most important task - defence of Croatian identity, integrity, territory and national interests, said the PM.

"These can be defended 5,000 kilometres away from the homeland, but we are not an imperial power nor will we ever be," said Milanovic.

Addressing the event, Defence Minister Ante Kotromanovic said that Croatians would never forget their veterans and their sacrifice in the 1991-95 Homeland War.

Recalling cuts in the defence budget in the past years, he said that one should be aware of the current situation in the country, adding that it was crucial to manage the available funds well and to ensure investments in all three segments of the Armed Forces.

Around HRK 2.5 billion has been invested to upgrade the Armed Forces in the term of this government, and according to the long-term plan for the development of the Armed Forces, ten billion kuna will be invested in the next ten years, said Kotromanovic.

(Text: Hina)

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