Milanović presented the decorations at a formal reception in his office, on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the operation and in memory of Josip Jović, the first Croatian police officer killed in the 1991-95 Homeland War.
Jović, 22, was killed and nine other police officers were wounded in a police operation on 31 March 1991 after Serb insurgents occupied the Plitvice Lakes National Park and blocked the D1 state road that connects the country’s north and south. Jović was a member of the Lučko Anti-Terrorist Unit.
Addressing the participants in the operation, Milanović said that as the Commander in Chief he would pursue a non-partisan policy.
“A policy that does not recognise either of the two big parties or third parties, a policy that recognises only our interests. And for Croatia and us Croatians to be able to define and realise those interests, the state had to be defended and created first. Without you, none of that would have been possible. May the memory of Josip Jović live, to you we owe our gratitude. Long live Croatia!” Milanović said in his address.
In a statement to reporters after the reception, Milanović noted that no government representative attended the event.
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