Croatia Marks Independence Day

Croatia marks Independence Day on Saturday

Croatia marks Independence Day on Saturday…

Croatia celebrates the unanimous decision of the Croatian Parliament back on 8 October 1991 to terminate the link between Croatia and SFR Yugoslavia today.

The Croatian referendum on independence was held in May 1991, with 93% of voters supporting the independence. On 25 June the Croatian Sabor proclaimed the Croatian independence and seven days later, on 7 July, Croatia and Slovenia signed the Brioni Declaration in which the two countries agreed to suspend all declarations and acts passed by the Croatian and Slovenian parliaments related to those states’ secession from Yugoslavia for a period of three months.

On 8 October, the Sabor decided to end relations with Yugoslavia, in the decision on the termination of the state and legal ties with other republics and provinces of Yugoslavia. That session was not held in the House of Parliament but instead in the basement of an INA building, because of the possibility of the repeat of an incident such as the bombing of Banski dvori.

Independence Day was celebrated for the first time on 8 October back in 2002. Statehood Day is commemorated on 25 June.

“This is the day when we remember with respect all those who contributed to achieving this historic goal, starting with the first Croatian president, Franjo Tudjman, and Croatian soldiers, who these days boldly refused the hardest aggressor attacks”, President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović said in a statement as she congratulated citizens on the day.

“We can and should be proud of our young state, which has come out of a centuries-long struggle for freedom. In twenty-five years of independence we have achieved a lot. After the difficult experiences of totalitarian regimes and dictatorships we have successfully developed a democratic culture, built institutions, became a respected member of international organizations and institutions. Our students, innovators, entrepreneurs, scientists, doctors, artists, athletes and many others achieved remarkable successes worldwide.

The strength of our country is in our people. Just like they could not be deterred during the most difficult days of defense after declaring independence, I am firmly convinced that with the same spirit of unity for the beloved homeland we can successfully develop and make it an even better place to live, especially for our children and young people.” she added.

President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović (photo credit: Ured Predsjednice)