President Milanović at Croatian Military Academy: we will have to be guided more and more by our interests, then by solidarity
The President of the Republic and Commander in Chief of the Croatian Armed Forces Zoran Milanović attended a ceremony marking the 30th anniversary of the Dr. Franjo Tuđman Croatian Defence Academy, and the graduation of students of the Military Engineering and Military Leadership and Management undergraduate and graduate university study programmes.
At the ceremony held in the Dr. Franjo Tuđman Croatian Defence Academy, President Milanović noted that today he is celebrating the thirtieth anniversary of two Croatian institutions: the Croatian National Bank and the Croatian Defence Academy.
“I’m coming straight from an institution that celebrated its thirtieth anniversary this morning – the Croatian National Bank. That’s not its real anniversary since this institution existed earlier. Your institution and ours did not exist, it emerged out of the whirlwind of war and the creation of the state. It is totally new and in this sense totally ours”, President Milanović stated, emphasizing that these two institutions after thirty years of existence of the Croatian state represent and indeed are the only two institutions that did their work well, honourably and with quality. “Of these two institutions, one is monetary and enjoys a good reputation, but not love. The second one, your and our Croatian army is special, it is ours only, it serves to defend our country and served in the hardest of times, and the citizens and the people respect it and love it. These two institutions, these two pillars do what is good and of quality in the Croatian state”, the President stated.
He announced his Official visit to the Republic of Kosovo, saying, among others, that he is going to visit our troops “who are there because it is our decision. No solidarity, no force has made us go there, it was our decision and our assessment that it is good for us, it is good for the region. We will have to be guided more and more by our interests first, then by solidarity”, President Milanović added, underlining that NATO is a defence alliance that has to mind that it does not create new crises by its expansion and the messages it conveys.
He told the graduates that they have reason to be proud and that they have chosen the difficult duty of Croatian soldiers in a state that is a NATO and EU member. “I wish you peaceful and dynamic, exciting years in which you will work on yourselves, develop yourselves. We are fighting for European values, but we have to first of all recognize our values, universal human values and Croatian interests. This is the framework in which I wish we will live, work and act. This is an honourable institution and an excellent institution of the Croatian state, which developed in impossible conditions and was created by a small number of good people”, President Milanović said in concluding his address.
On the occasion of the Croatian Defence Academy Day, the President of the Republic and Commander in Chief of the Croatian Armed Forces Zoran Milanović has issued a Decision to Promote Active Officers of the Croatian Armed Forces: Lieutenant Colonel Dalibor Mesić has been promoted to the rank of Colonel, Major Ivan Radoš has been promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel, Lieutenant Commander Jakša Mišković has been promoted to the rank of Commander, Major Marko Šimić has been promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel, Major Ivan Krezić has been promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel, Major Petar Kažimir has been promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel, Lieutenant Commander Tino Sumić has been promoted to the rank of Commander, Major Hrvoje Mikšik has been promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel, Major Emil Banek has been promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel, Major Jasminka Šoić has been promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel, Captain Jelena Gudelj and Captain Marijana Maljak have been promoted to the rank of Major, Captain Mislav Kranjčec has been promoted to the rank of Major, Captain Krešimir Sudarić has been promoted to the rank of Major, Lieutenant Toni Juretić has been promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Commander, Captain Ivan Novokmet has been promoted to the rank of Major, Lieutenant Ana Bulat has been promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Commander, Captain Klaudija Matijević has been promoted to the rank of Major, Second Lieutenant Ivana Cvitković and Second Lieutenant Sanja Rožanković Sadiković have been promoted to the rank of First Lieutenant, Second Lieutenant Dino Bajac has been promoted to the rank of First Lieutenant, and Second Lieutenant Anto Tomić has been promoted to the rank of First Lieutenant.
At the graduation ceremony of the students of the undergraduate and graduate university study programmes, the Rector of the University of Zagreb Damir Boras presented the Rector’s Award for individual, scientific and artistic work to the best student 2nd Lt. Anđela Marković, and the Commander of the Cadet Battalion Capt. Dinko Frajzman presented the transitional cadet saber to the best student of the 15th generation of Cadets, Sergeant First Class Josip Lukinac.
Alongside President Milanović at the a ceremony marking the 30th anniversary of the Dr. Franjo Tuđman Croatian Defence Academy and the graduation of students of the undergraduate and graduate university study programmes Military Engineering and Military Leadership and Management was the Special Adviser to the President for Homeland War Veterans Marijan Mareković.
PHOTO: Office of the President of the Republic of Croatia / Marko Beljan