President Milanović in Vukovar sends message to Serbia: You owe us information on the missing persons, without that you won’t get far on the European path
The President of the Republic and Commander in Chief of the Croatian Armed Forces Zoran Milanović took part today in a ceremony commemorating the 15th anniversary of the death of Vukovar’s legendary defender, Croatian army Lieutenant colonel Marko Babić.
“One cannot talk about Marko Babić appropriately. It’s not some landmark on the side of the road that shines from time to time, it’s a solid foundation, new pillars of the Croatian state on which a small number of people is inscribed. It’s a story of the defence and primarily the defence of an attacked and not yet recognized state whose institutions are bombed, whose president they tried to assassinate”, President Milanović stated in his address, adding that Marko Babić was an unusually intimidating courageous man.
The President of the Republic said that from a conversation with Marko’s sister and brother he could sense and see that he was a “Vukovarian born in Vukovar, that golden connection between the old Vukovar, Croats, Hungarians, Czechs and Germans, and that part of Vukovar without which there’s no Vukovar, namely Dalmatia, Herzegovina, Bosnia – those parts of our homeland, of our being and our identity that are inscribed in this plain”.
As for Lieutenant colonel Marko Babić President Milanović stated that he was great hero that wasn’t created by circumstances. “Marko Babić’s sad tragedy was when he left his homeland and family as a young man – only as lieutenant colonel, but he is more than a lieutenant colonel and more than a general. People like that are few and far between. In all these young men and women of that time, what is special about Croatia, what is traditional, but also what is modern and brave and what is going after new victories, is united, grouped together, still lives and will live forever”, the President noted, expressing hope that the Croatia that was created by the defenders, will be a strong and independent state and that it will have character, and if need be boldness.
“Our neighbours owe us information on the missing Croatian defenders and civilians. That’s 2,000 people! That’s not 2,000 signatures or 2,000 personal identity cards, that’s 2,000 souls and that’s thousands of people that knew them and will never forget them”, President Milanović stated, and said that Serbia should respect this because without that it won’t make progress on its European path.
“Let’s go and build an independent and strong state that will be proud of where and what it is, and at the same time remind Europe, the west and NATO that this country defended itself, thanks only to its own energy, courage and craziness, with weapons that practically fell from the sky and were confiscated during an embargo, at a time when we weren’t recognized, when nearly all the odds were against us. Thanks to that small number of right people Croatia was saved, literally saved and resurrected. That was the Croatian tragedy, a Croatian epic after that and hopefully some day – a Croatian rhapsody”, President Milanović noted. Saying that unity and community spirit are not what we need but a stance, fortitude and boldness so that we’re heard, the President concluded his address by saying: “Without that we’re not a state, with that we can indeed be a state, a small one, but a strong one, be masters of our own destiny. Long live our homeland Croatia and faithful to the Homeland! – that’s how Marko Babić would probably have also concluded”.
Also speaking at the commemoration at the Croatian defenders’ Memorial home on Trpinjska Street besides President Milanović were the president of the Council for the Defenders of the City of Vukovar Tomislav Josić, the State Secretary in the Ministry of Croatian Veterans and envoy of the Prime Minister Špiro Janović, and the Mayor of Otok and envoy of the Speaker of the Croatian Parliament Josip Šarić.
The commemoration began by a tribute at the Memorial cemetery to the Victims of the Homeland War where wreaths in addition to the President of the Republic and Commander in Chief of the Croatian Armed Forces were laid by many delegations. Accompanying President Milanović at the wreath laying ceremony was the Special Adviser to the President for Homeland War Veterans Marijan Mareković and Colonel Petar Matanović of the Croatian Armed Forces.
PHOTO: Office of the President of the Republic of Croatia / Tomislav Bušljeta