The ceremony was attended, among others, by senior state officials, including President Ivo Josipovic, Parliament Deputy Speaker Ivan Jarnjak, who was the wartime Minister of the Interior, and Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor.

ATJ Lucko was established on September 7, 1990 as the first armed formation of the newly established Croatian state.

ATJ Lucko was a special police unit with powers to operate on the entire territory of Croatia, and today it is organised and equipped in line with international standards, it was said at the ceremony.

Speakers at the commemoration expressed their gratitude to the unit's members killed in the war, and its former and current members, underlining their great courage, selflessness and patriotism.

"The establishment of your unit marked the beginning of Croatia's just war of defence," President Josipovic said in his address, adding that the unit's purpose today was to fight corruption and organised crime.

Josipovic presented ATJ Lucko commander Alen Klabot with a state charter for his contribution in the Homeland War and to the protection of the country's constitutional order.

Parliament Deputy Speaker Jarnjak recalled in his speech all ATJ Lucko commanders, notably General Mladen Markac, one of the unit's founders.

"Thank you for everything you did in creating values that will never vanish," Jarnjak said in a message to Markac, who is in The Hague awaiting a verdict in a war crimes case against him and two other Croatian generals, Ante Gotovina and Ivan Cermak.

PM Kosor said that people in Croatia today should be inspired by the faith, resolve and patriotism of ATJ Lucko members. "We all need more unity and love," the PM said, adding that today's commemoration paid tribute to the people who were the first to defend the country, under the leadership of Croatia's first president, Franjo Tudjman.

Without them, Croatia would not be on the road to the EU and would not have joined NATO, she added.

Addressing the ceremony, Minister of the Interior Tomislav Karamarko recalled the unit's war path, saying that it paved the way to the successes of the Croatian army and police in the Homeland War.

A total of 350 people were members of ATJ Lucko, including seven army generals, and numerous retired and current army and police officers.

Twenty-four members of ATJ Lucko were killed and 52 were seriously wounded in the 1990s war.

Military ordinary Juraj Jezerinac consecrated a chapel of the Blessed Alojzije Stepinac and a memorial centre built by members of the ATJ Lucko, and conducted a service for all dead members of the unit.