We want to help Ukraine deal with the consequences of war with our knowledge, solidarity and experience

Prime Minister Andrej Plenković participated today in Split at the opening of the International Veterans Conference, which aims to confirm strong and unequivocal support for Ukraine, which has been ongoing since the beginning of the brutal Russian aggression. This conference - the first of its kind - brings together representatives of 14 countries and a number of international institutions dealing with the health, rehabilitation, employment and social reintegration of veterans.

Welcoming the Ukrainian veterans, Prime Minister Plenković said that this conference is just part of the activities that the Croatian Government has been undertaking in recent years with the aim of internationalizing the difficult situation that Ukraine has found itself in since the beginning of the second Russian aggression in the last 12 years.

Since February 2022, Croatia has very clearly provided strong support to its Ukrainian friends through its political statements, but also through its actions of support for Ukraine as a victim of the aggression of the Putin regime.

In this context, he recalled that Croatia hosted four significant international gatherings - the first meeting of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Crimea Platform, the first International Conference on Humanitarian Demining of Ukraine, the summit between the countries of Southeast Europe and Ukraine, and today's conference dedicated to the care and concern for veterans.

The conference was organized based on the experience that Croatia has, he said, in supporting and caring for Croatian veterans who gave the most to Croatian freedom, whether it is in terms of legal regulations, budgetary framework, projects, programs, veterans' centers, and so on.
These Croatian experiences, he emphasized, can be useful to Ukraine right now.

As this conference is taking place in Split, the city of the 4th Guards Brigade, Prime Minister Plenković took the opportunity to remember Major General Andrija Matijaš Pauk, who died 30 years ago in the final actions of the Homeland War and who is one of those Croatian heroes to whom we owe our freedom.

Incredible courage, perseverance and strength of Ukrainians

Regarding the current situation in Ukraine, Prime Minister Plenković said that Russia fired missiles at Ukraine again last night, and unfortunately one child was killed in the attack.

We highly appreciate the efforts of our international partners, especially US President Trump, with the wholehearted support of all the leaders at the European level, to achieve a ceasefire, and then peace and a comprehensive solution that will enable an end to the suffering and misery of the Ukrainian people, said Prime Minister Plenković.

In the past three and a half years, Ukraine has suffered enormous losses of both soldiers and civilians, cities and infrastructure have been destroyed, he said.
 
"The courage, perseverance and strength of the Ukrainian people to resist such a great force and such aggression is incredible. Every day we admire what Ukraine has done by strengthening its defense system and its capabilities and at the same time finding itself in a position of exceptional international solidarity and assistance," he said, adding that Croatia also contributed with 14 packages of military assistance.

Ukraine is not alone in its heroic resistance

Prime Minister Plenković emphasized that Ukraine is not alone in this heroic resistance, expressing the wish that the process leading to peace be started as soon as possible and that Russia sincerely approach it, which unfortunately is not currently the case.

Ukraine is the topic of all international meetings, he added, be it about the security situation itself, or about financial and economic aid or support on the European path.

Croatia advocates that Ukraine open the so-called first cluster in the negotiation process with the European Union, he said and expressed the hope that this would happen as soon as possible.

Three specific niches of Croatian support to Ukraine

Regarding Croatian support to Ukraine, Prime Minister Plenković mentioned the issue of humanitarian demining, care for veterans and the prosecution of war crimes, as these are three specific niches in which Croatia has special experience.

Today's conference, he emphasized, will clarify how Croatia, based on the experiences of the Homeland War, has gone from destruction to reconstruction, from occupied areas to the reintegration of its territories.

In doing so, he particularly emphasized the peaceful reintegration of the Croatian Danube region, one of the most successful examples of the work of any UN mission on the territory of Europe, an experience that, if possible, would be good to apply to the Ukrainian situation.

When it comes to veterans, the Prime Minister said that a huge number of veterans in the Homeland War contributed to Croatian freedom.

The task of the state is to provide, first of all, health and psychological support, social and business reintegration to the people who gave the most for freedom, to give them dignity, meaning and an appropriate and respected place in society.

Croatian model of care for veterans can be very useful for Ukraine

It is precisely the Croatian model of care for veterans, which the Government implements primarily through the Ministry of Croatian Veterans, that combines health, psychological, social and work rehabilitation, he pointed out.

Therefore, such a comprehensive approach, he added, is very useful for Ukraine at this time.
 
He reminded that Croatia has built four large veterans' centers, in Sinj, Šibenik, Petrinja and Daruvar, and Ukrainian veterans have already been admitted to them for rehabilitation.

With co-financing from European funds, he added, five new centers will be built in Virovitica, Senj, Osijek, Krapina and Biograd.

In addition, additional long-term care homes will be built, in addition to the existing ones in Pakrac, Slunj, Vukovar, Slavonski Brod and Imotski, as well as a center for the treatment of permanent wounds in Zagreb.

"We are never in a position to thank the Croatian veterans enough. And that is why it was not a problem for us to find the strength and skills to create a unique and comprehensive Law on Croatian Veterans, to pass the Law on Civilian Victims of the Homeland War and the Law on Missing Persons," said the Prime Minister.

Those who forget their veterans, forget their freedom

Until all these issues are investigated and resolved, he stressed, we have not fully fulfilled our task as a society.

That is why the Government's approach is a constant, continuous and careful dialogue and partnership with veterans' associations, Prime Minister Plenković said.

It is important that we convey all our experiences to the Ukrainian Government, because we too have found ourselves in a similar situation and have been looking for the best possible solutions over the years, he added.

Croatia may be a small country, he said, but it helps Ukraine, the country that was among the first to recognize us internationally in 1991, from the bottom of its heart, with a sense of justice, solidarity and friendship.

"We in Croatia say: those who forget their veterans, forgetstheir freedom," he concluded.

Memorandum of Cooperation between the Ministry of Croatian Veterans and the Ministry of Veterans of Ukraine

Ahead of the International Veterans' Conference, the Prime Minister met with the Minister for Veterans Affairs of Ukraine, Natalia Kalmykova.

A Memorandum of Cooperation was also signed between the Ministry of Croatian Veterans Affairs and the Ministry of Veterans Affairs of Ukraine in the field of veterans care.

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