Croatian President Ivo Josipovic on Sunday attended Bastille Day celebrations in Paris where also 75 Croatian Armed Forces members took part in the Bastille Day Military Parade.
Josipovic and the 75 soldiers from the Croatian army, navy and air force, arrived in Paris at an invitation of French President Francois Hollande.
This year's Bastille Day Military Parade opened with Malian forces. The parade passed down the Champs-Elysees from l’Arc de Triomphe to Place de la Concorde.
Before the parade, Josipovic held a brief meeting with the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon who congratulated Croatia on its admission to the European Union and expressed hope that Croatia's EU membership would positively impact southeastern Europe.
Ban Ki-moon informed Josipovic about his plan for empowerment of women in post-conflict situations which he would soon propose to the UN General Assembly.
On Saturday, Josipovic met with Hollande and also formally inaugurated the Rudjer Boskovic Esplanade at a ceremony being attended by Patrick Bloche, mayor of the 11th arrondissement of Paris and president of the Croatian-French friendship group in the French National Assembly, and Pierre Schapire, deputy mayor of Paris in charge of international and European affairs and the Francophone world. The Rudjer Boskovic Esplanade is located in the central park area on the Boulevard Richard-Lenoir in the 11th arrondissement.
