Zagreb - Sabor Speaker Gordan Jandroković on Friday wrote in his congratulations on Statehood Day that Croatia must be continuously improved and made an even better place to live, and underlined that the true key to achieving this lies in determination, unity, solidarity, and faith in our own capabilities.
In his message, Jandroković recalled that during the first multi-party democratic elections in the spring of 1990, the Croatian people "finally had the opportunity to freely and directly elect their true political representatives," and that the outcome of those elections enabled the establishment of the first democratically elected multi-party Croatian Parliament, exactly 35 years ago today.
"At that historic moment, the highest representative body in Croatia, the symbol of our statehood and the guardian of sovereignty throughout history, came to life with a new, democratic spirit. 30 May became the birthday of our modern democracy, and Croatia could finally embark on the juourney toward realising the centuries-old aspiration of its people: to live in an independent, sovereign, and free state," the current parliament speaker highlighted.
However, he noted, this freedom would not have been possible without victory over the Great Serbian aggressor in the bloody war that was imposed upon us. The Speaker added that we are, therefore, "eternally and immensely grateful to all Croatian defenders and their families, to the first Croatian President Dr Franjo Tuđman, to the political leadership of the time, and to all those who participated in the creation and defence of our Homeland and its international affirmation."
Jandroković calls for constant efforts to improve Croatia
"In this year, as we mark the 30th anniversary of the glorious victory in the military-police operation ‘Storm’, we must all be aware that Croatia ultimately succeeded because its people, at a historic crossroads, demonstrated determination, unity, solidarity, and faith in their own strength. That is the true key to our hard-won freedom, our democracy and independence, and the decisive foundation of all the achievements we have attained so far," Jandroković stated.
At the same time, he added, always mindful of our rich and often turbulent history, we must continue to look ahead, and emphasised that "we must constantly strive to improve Croatia and make it an even better place to live, for all its people, and for future generations."
The foundation for this, he pointed out, lies in the accomplishments we have already achieved, from building stable democratic institutions and creating the necessary conditions for economic development, to geostrategic successes such as membership in NATO and the European Union.
"In a world of growing uncertainty, all of this undoubtedly makes our homeland significantly stronger, safer, and more geopolitically relevant, and better prepared for the challenges of tomorrow and for the defence of the values we fought so hard to achieve," noted the Sabor Speaker.
Recalling the statement of the first Croatian President, Dr Franjo Tuđman, spoken in the Parliament on 30 May 1990 when he said"Long live and may our democratic and sovereign Croatia prosper!", Jandroković called on everyone "to contribute personally to that goal" and extended his congratulations to all on the occasion of Statehood Day.