Addressing those present, President Milanović underscored that a few people had the courage to defend the country with arms, and without them Croatia would not have been victorious.
He said that there was no danger that those events would be forgotten, not because 30 years had passed but because those events were constantly being talked about, debated and evaluated.
Milanović underscored that the truth may hurt, but that no one should be ashamed of the truth.” “Ours hurts, because it was painful and deadly. It killed many people and traumatised many… but we need not be ashamed but should be proud of it,” he said.
“The mistakes on that path happened due to negligence or human traits which we will never get rid of, because of greed, envy or hate towards one’s neighbour. That has been penalised, debts have been paid and I think that it is high time to stop questioning those things. That in particular refers to the fantasies, illusions, delusions, crimes and other faults of our grandfathers and great grandfathers of 80 or 100 years ago,” underscored Milanović.
Anyone who spent the war in an office is not a defender
He sent a message to Croatian defenders to preserve their status, noting that they risked their lives and there were not many of them.
“Mind your status because not everyone can be a defender. Someone who spent the war in an office is not a defender. He can be and is a Croatian patriot, a loyal and well-meaning citizen of this country but your worth lies in the fact that there are not many of you,” underscored Milanović.
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