Attending the central celebration of Victory and Homeland Thanksgiving Day, in the fortress above the town of Knin, Plenkovic underscored that in their addresses to the public, state officials sent a joint message that the country's present-day freedom and democracy would not exist had it not been for the sacrifice made by Croatian defenders.
"Hence, the care and lasting welfare for them and improving their status is one of the key tasks," he concluded.
He announced that Croatia's chairmanship of the European Union would be dedicated to Croatian defenders, their families and their sacrifice for the homeland's freedom.
Asked to comment on a statement by Serbia's President Aleksandar Vucic who said yesterday that 1995 Operation Storm would not have occurred had there been solidarity among the Serbs, Plenkovic said that the present-day Croatia wants to regulate its relations with neighbouring countries.
"The present-day Croatia honours its past and also looks to the future, and has the political will and power to include all Croatian minorities and to respect all their rights pursuant to our laws and international documents. The present-day Croatia is aware of its strength and its international status and wants to regulate its relations with neighbouring countries and expects the rights of the ethnic Croat minority to be respected in an equal way that we protect the minority rights here in Croatia," he said.
The prime minister commented on media speculations that Tomislav Karamarko, his predecessor at the helm of the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ), could announce his candidacy to run for party's chair again.
Plenkovic underscored that he has only heard that in the media and added, Croatia is a democratic, free country in which everyone positions themselves in their own way.
"Anyone can express their ambitions in Croatia and in the HDZ for that matter," he said.
Text: Hina