Six people were given decorations, whereby Josipovic started fulfilling his promise to give credit to all Vukovar heroes for their contribution in the Homeland War.

Decorations were bestowed on Stevo Maricak, Nenad Gagic, Stjepan Antolic, the late Petar Kacic, the late Juraj Njavro, and Milan Crnjac.

Josipovic said the battle of Vukovar was the best known battle in Croatia's history which broke the backbone of the military aggression against Croatia and secured its freedom.

At the start of my term I want to correct the omissions that were made, Josipovic said, adding that his giving decorations to several members of the Croatian Army's 204th Vukovar Brigade would mark the beginning of the process of giving due credit to members of Vukovar's defence forces.

Croatia today is a member of NATO and it enjoys the respect of its neighbours and its friends in the European Union, said Josipovic.

"The important process of reconciliation with our neighbours, nations and countries we were at war with is beginning. Croatia was a victim of an act of aggression and it has the strength not only to win, as it did, but to do its best, primarily in its own interest, to be a part of a region of peace, respect and prosperity," said Josipovic.

The recent apology by Serbian President Boris Tadic is just the beginning, a lot remains to be done to shed light on the fate of missing people, return the stolen cultural artefacts, and solve outstanding issues in relations with Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina so as not to pass them to our children, the President said.

The reception in the President's Office was attended by representatives of the national coordinating body of Homeland War associations, war veterans from Zagreb who took part in Vukovar's defence, the national association of families of soldiers gone missing in the Homeland War, and the SABA national association of anti-fascist fighters.