President Milanović: In a world full of conflicts, we need to sail calmly with a clear vision
“In today’s world full of conflicts and uncertainties, in the stormy times of global politics, we need to sail calmly, prudently, with a clear vision and not stand out too much. But we also have to prepare and adapt to the new environment, to new challenges — economic, migration, and all others. I prefer to say challenges instead of threats because that’s simply how it is”, the President of the Republic Zoran Milanović told the members of the Croatian community who live and work in the State of Minnesota on Friday evening in Saint Paul.
“We in Croatia are burdened with history. We have had enough history and now we crave for decades of peace and predictability. If I had a chance to ask a goldfish to grant me one wish, I would wish predictability and boredom for my country for the next ten, twenty, thirty years,” President Milanović added, speaking about the current situation in the world.
President Milanović said that his visit to the Croats of Minnesota is quite emotional since he is the first Croatian president to visit them since President Tuđman. “One of the privileges in the life of every Croatian statesman, whether he is Prime Minister or President of the Republic, is the opportunity to visit places such as this one. And this evokes strong emotions in me”, President Milanović noted, adding that he visited numerous Croatian clubs, buildings and institutions around the world that have been in the making for decades and centuries, but that his work would “not be complete had he not come here too”.
“An endless ocean separates us. Your ancestors went in search of opportunity, happiness, a new life. And when I look at you, I see and sense in you the spirits and pictures of my ancestors who could have decided to go the same way several decades or two centuries ago, but didn’t for some reason. They lived and endured a rather difficult life in their old homeland”, President Milanović indicated in his address to the descendants of Croats in Minnesota, recalling the greatness and significance of the late Governor of Minnesota Rudy Perpich, who was also a Croat.
President Milanović met with the Croatian immigrants and their descendants on Friday evening at the Croatian Hall, which has been the headquarters of the social life of Croats of Minnesota since 1919. Approximately 10,000 people of Croatian descent live in Minnesota. Although being one of the smaller communities in the USA, this Croatian community is active, proud and strongly attached to its heritage.
Since 1993, Croats in Minnesota have been united in the Croatian Cultural Society of Minnesota, an official non-profit organization that preserves and promotes Croatian culture, language, and tradition, and fosters a sense of community among Croatian Americans and friends of Croatia. The society brings together more than 200 active members who regularly participate in cultural and social activities.
Ahead of the meeting with the Croatian descendants in Minnesota, President Milanović toured the headquarters of the 34th Infantry Division Headquarters “Red Bull” in Arden Hills and met with the Leader of the Minnesota National Guard Major General Shawn P. Manke.
PHOTO: Office of the President of the Republic of Croatia / Marko Beljan