A classical concert, organised by the Croatian Foreign and European Affairs Ministry and the Office of the UN Development Programme (UNDP) in Croatia, was held in Zagreb's Zrinjevac park on Tuesday as the first in a number of events to be held in order to mark the 20th anniversary of Croatia's admission to the UN, at a time when the country was in the midst of its struggle for independence.
Addressing the ceremony, which was also attended by President Ivo Josipovic, UN representative Louisa Vinton said the UN had been with Croatia both in good and bad times.
Croatia's recognition 20 years ago came at such a turbulent time and the armed conflicts of the 1990s gave the country the opportunity to see for itself the strength of the UN, as an advocate of peace and justice, as well as experience its weaknesses, said Vinton.
Croatia's 20-year-long membership of the UN has shown that the country is aware that the UN is as strong as the member-countries allow it to be. With its own experience in building peace, Croatia has contributed to making the UN a stronger and more efficient organisation, she said.
Vinton recalled UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's statement that Croatia's active contribution in the UN greatly surpassed its size. Its successful transformation from a country which received international assistance to a country helping others is a remarkable achievement, Vinton said quoting the UN Secretary-General.
President Josipovic underlined Croatia's difficult past, notably its struggle for independence, saying that the UN was the international organisation that had contributed the most to the human race recognising a path other than war and conflict.
"The day when Croatia became a member of the UN is one of the most important dates in our history. This is so not only because of the fact that we have completed our struggle for independence and international recognition, but because it was a day when Croatia became a member of the biggest world organisation of free states and nations," Josipovic said, adding that the day of Croatia's forthcoming EU accession would be another such date.
The UN helped Croatia end the war, it helped prevent more victims and assisted in the peaceful reintegration of its entire territory, as a stage on which Croatia successfully manifested its policy of good will towards all people of the world, said Josipovic.
He warned that the UN was not always successful in accomplishing its goals - global peace, the fight against famine and poverty or climate change, but that Croatia would remain committed to the ideals of the 193-member world organisation.
Addressing the ceremony, Deputy Prime Minister Neven Mimica said Croatia wanted to contribute to efforts to deal with global problems such as poverty, disease, food and water shortage, human rights restriction, global financial crisis and international terrorism, recalling its role in peace missions and UN bodies.
The central ceremony marking the 20th anniversary of Croatia's admission to the UN will be held in the Croatian Parliament on May 29, when a round table discussion on the 20th anniversary of Croatia's recognition will be held.
Alongside top Croatian officials, the ceremony in the parliament will also be attended by former Polish Prime Minister Tadeusz Mazowiecki, former Hungarian Foreign Minister Geza Jeszenski, former French Foreign Minister Roland Dumas, former Slovenian President Milan Kucan, a former Vatican undersecretary for relations with states, Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, and former UN administrator in eastern Slavonia Jacques Klein.
Croatia was admitted to the UN on 22 May 1992 by acclamation of the General Assembly and after previously being recognised by a number of countries, including all countries of the then EU, Russia and the United States.
