{"id":18533,"date":"2022-07-27T14:06:32","date_gmt":"2022-07-27T12:06:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.predsjednik.hr\/?post_type=news&p=18533"},"modified":"2022-07-27T14:27:03","modified_gmt":"2022-07-27T12:27:03","slug":"president-milanovic-peljesac-bridge-will-forever-remain-a-monumental-reminder-of-the-boldness-of-one-generation-of-croatian-people","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/www.predsjednik.hr\/en\/news\/president-milanovic-peljesac-bridge-will-forever-remain-a-monumental-reminder-of-the-boldness-of-one-generation-of-croatian-people\/","title":{"rendered":"President Milanovi\u0107: Pelje\u0161ac Bridge will forever remain a monumental reminder of the boldness of one generation of Croatian people"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The President of the Republic Zoran Milanovi\u0107 attended tonight the main ceremony marking the opening of Pelje\u0161ac Bridge, which has at long last connected the whole territory of the Republic of Croatia by a road link.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The following is the full speech given by President Milanovi\u0107 at the ceremony in Komarna: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCitizens of Croatia, my fellow Croatians!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bridges are, above all, the works of specific people. The talent, knowledge, effort and courage of the designers and builders are to be most credited for the beauty that will flash before our eyes tonight in all its glory. A big thank you to them for that!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not a single bridge, however, is the fruit of architectural vision and craftsmanship alone. The bridge is also the result of a combination of the irrepressible human desire to improve life, to overcome obstacles, and the authorities\u2019 ability to obtain funds and arrange construction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I congratulate all those who have in any way contributed as much as they could in their time to the realisation of our, above all, noble aspiration!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pelje\u0161ac Bridge will forever remain a monumental reminder of the boldness of one generation of Croatian people in their effort to reach the long-desired shore of liberty \u2013 \u2018a gift in which all treasures have been bestowed upon us by the Almighty God\u2019. <\/em>The best among us gave their lives, their health, their dreams in reaching and rounding off the key Croatian national goals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This bridge would not be possible if a small number of the right kind of people hadn\u2019t defended Dubrovnik 30 years ago, freeing the south of Croatia. One of the symbolic functions of this impressive structure is that we never forget those people and their sacrifice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We must not be held hostage to the wartime past, but we would be unworthy if we were ever to withhold our debt of honour and debt of the heart.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pelje\u0161ac Bridge was built in the interest of Croatia and its people, but never to spite anyone, and especially not to spite or to cause damage to Bosnia and Herzegovina.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We would be thinking that way even if Bosnia and Herzegovina wasn\u2019t a homeland also to the Croatian people, the homeland of our brothers and sisters, without whose wartime contribution we wouldn\u2019t be here tonight taking pride in our achievement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This bridge is to the benefit of all people, regardless of nation, faith, nationality, social status, origin, beliefs. A bridge built with the opposite motives would eventually give way under the weight of its own absurdity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I believe that ahead of us are years in which, as a nation, we will strengthen our sense of self. This does not mean being introverted. We have no right to that and we will not survive that way. Escape from reality and self-criticism is not acceptable. This means developing the awareness that our country is, ultimately, meant for us, only us and for no one else.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I believe that in the years to come we will fight for everything that is important to us without complexes and feelings of inferiority. Nothing was ever given to us for free. No one will ever give us anything for free. Pelje\u0161ac Bridge was mostly financed with EU money, but that is, in fact, our money that we paid dearly for.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My fellow citizens, dear friends! Ahead of an uncertain autumn and globally uncertain times, let us stick together! Let us be ready to help one another!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We will never have the same opinion on everything. And we don\u2019t need to. It wouldn\u2019t be good. All disagreements, however, must not for a moment distract us from serving the common good and Croatia\u2019s national interests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We must not leave any of our people out in the cold. Faith that in troubling times we will not be left to our own devices and that we will fight for each other \u2013 that should bring us, as fellow citizens and as a nation, as close together as Pelje\u0161ac Bridge will bring together the Croatian territory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018To je tvoja zemlja, tu sagradi dom, tu je stari temelj, tu na kr\u0161u tvom\u2019.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[That\u2019s your land, build your home there, the old foundations are there, on your karst.]<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this spirit \u2013 all the best! Long live the Republic of Croatia!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pelje\u0161ac Bridge is a capital infrastructure project whose goal was connecting the southernmost part of Croatia with the rest of the country by a direct road link. \u20ac357 million was secured as a grant from the European Union for the bridge, whose construction initially started in 2005 and lasted almost 17 years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the occasion of the opening of Pelje\u0161ac Bridge, a day-long programme was organized for visitors, during which they could walk across the bridge and learn about the rich cultural and artistic heritage of Dubrovnik-Neretva County.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Also speaking at the main ceremony were Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovi\u0107, Speaker of the Croatian Parliament Gordan Jandrokovi\u0107, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Sea, Transport and Infrastructure Oleg Butkovi\u0107, Dubrovnik-Neretva County Prefect Nikola Dobroslavi\u0107 and Croatian Roads Management Board Chairman Josip \u0160kori\u0107.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Head of the Cabinet of the President of the Republic Bartol \u0160imuni\u0107 and Special Adviser to the President of the Republic for the Economy Velibor Ma\u010dki\u0107 were alongside President Milanovi\u0107 at the Pelje\u0161ac Bridge opening ceremony.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n \n <\/a>\n \n \n <\/a>\n \n \n <\/a>\n \n \n <\/a>\n \n \n <\/a>\n \n \n <\/a>\n \n \n <\/a>\n \n \n <\/a>\n \n \n <\/a>\n \n \n <\/a>\n \n \n <\/a>\n \n \n <\/a>\n \n \n <\/a>\n \n \n <\/a>\n \n \n <\/a>\n \n \n <\/a>\n \n \n <\/a>\n \n \n <\/a>\n \n <\/div>\n\n\n\n\n

PHOTO: Office of the President of the Republic of Croatia \/ Tomislav Bu\u0161ljeta<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The President of the Republic Zoran Milanovi\u0107 attended tonight the main ceremony marking the opening of Pelje\u0161ac Bridge<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":18522,"template":"","news-cat":[12],"class_list":["post-18533","news","type-news","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","news-cat-news"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nPresident Milanovi\u0107: Pelje\u0161ac Bridge will forever remain a monumental reminder of the boldness of one generation of Croatian people - President of the Republic of Croatia - Zoran Milanovi\u0107<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.predsjednik.hr\/en\/news\/president-milanovic-peljesac-bridge-will-forever-remain-a-monumental-reminder-of-the-boldness-of-one-generation-of-croatian-people\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"President Milanovi\u0107: Pelje\u0161ac Bridge will forever remain a monumental reminder of the boldness of one generation of Croatian people - 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