President Milanović at “Diplomatic Grape Harvest”: a combination of tradition and modernity is imperative to achieve progress
The President of the Republic Zoran Milanović took part in the traditional “Diplomatic Grape Harvest” organized for heads of diplomatic missions and international organizations accredited to the Republic of Croatia. The host of the “Diplomatic Grape Harvest” is the President of the Republic Zoran Milanović, and the organizer is the Town of Jastrebarsko. The sixth edition of the “Diplomatic Grape Harvest” in Jastrebarsko was held in the Kurtalj family vineyard on Plešivica mountain.
Bidding welcome to the heads of diplomatic missions and international organizations accredited to the Republic of Croatia, and thanking the representatives of the organizer the Town of Jastrebarsko and the members of the Kurtalj family for their hospitality, President Milanović said that in recent years we have witnessed tremendous progress of winemakers in the Plešivica region.
“This is a traditional wine producing area, however in the 70s and 80s it was a large wine producer in terms of volume, but the quality was mediocre. I often used to say this to my hosts too. In fact I am a little excited to see how much progress has been made in terms of quality, and practically by all of them”, the President said, stressing that tradition has nevertheless been preserved.
“When I talk about a traditional producing area, it is important in the oral and political tradition of the Croatian nation. Two Croatian cardinals, Zagreb cardinals and archbishops, originate from this area, its immediate vicinity. Given the few cardinals in the past one hundred and fifty years, that is an above average representation, which is by no accident. Therefore, that has a political note as well, because as you know Croatia didn’t have a free, liberal-democratic system for at least fifty years and more, and to be a cardinal was not only a religious function, but in some way a political one as well”, President Milanović told the diplomats. He added that this area was also one of the centres of the political organization of the Croatian peasantry and that some of the most prominent political leaders were from Jastrebarsko, namely Vladko Maček. “That was the time of moderate Croatian politics, which was not destined to survive in the historical turbulences and unrest”, he said.
“I am here to show support and respect for the success of the last thirty years, which is a result of work and the awareness that good results must be a combination of tradition and modernity. It would be great if this were a model and indicator for Croatian progress and path as a whole,” the President noted. “These are small wineries, production on a small scale, this is tradition and I am here to honour tradition. For, as a saying attributed to Oscar Wilde goes: ‘A cynic is a man who knows the price of everything, and the value of nothing’ – we are here to honour values”, President Milanović concluded.
PHOTO: Office of the President of the Republic of Croatia / Filip Glas