Speakers at the main ceremony held in Knin on Monday to mark Victory and Homeland Thanksgiving Day and Homeland War Veterans' Day in memory of 5 August 1995 when Croatia regained control of the town of Knin and most of its territory occupied by rebel Serbs, expressed their gratitude to members of the Croatian forces who secured the victory for Croatia in the Homeland Defence War, calling for joint efforts in the further building of the rule of law as the foundation for progress of a European Croatia.
While the arrival of retired generals Ante Gotovina, Mladen Markac and Ivan Cermak and the speech by participant in Operation Storm General Damir Krsticevic were applauded, the speech delivered by Prime Minister Zoran Milanovic was booed.
"Croatia was not founded on a joint criminal enterprise, Croatia is a country that was defended in accordance with laws and customs of war, with a great deal of heart and few weapons, but with a lot of knowledge," Milanovic said in his address.
He recalled that Croatia was defended here, but also in a difficult way before the UN war crimes tribunal in The Hague.
He underlined that not a single EU member had gone through what Croatia had gone through.
Many Croatian citizens fled their homes here, however, looking at the region today, destroyed by the war and lack of trust, people are returning only to Croatia, Knin, Vukovar, not Bosnia, not Serbia not Kosovo, Milanovic said, adding that Croatia must show good faith to everyone.
We believe our path was the right path, he said. "It is up to us to build this community in which we shall lay the foundations for peace for at least several generations," Milanovic said.
President Josipovic said Operation Storm was a supreme military operation. He particularly congratulated General Gotovina. This operation secured our freedom, democracy and peaceful reintegration, he said adding that Knin today remembered the success and victory.
Croatia is winning in peace as well, Josipovic said. He recalled that Croatia had met demanding criteria for EU and NATO memberships, adding that Croatia today must win on the economic front as well. He expressed confidence that Croatia could surmount the recession.
Parliament Speaker Josip Leko said that 18 years ago today, Croatia's flag was hoisted in Knin. He called for the implementation of reforms, adding that nobody but ourselves was responsible for the situation in the country.
Operation Storm was a legitimate defence and liberation operation which must inspire us to overcome the difficulties Croatia is facing today, Leko said.
The central ceremonies in observance of Victory and Homeland Thanksgiving Day and Homeland War Veterans' Day began in Knin this morning with the ceremony of hoisting Croatia's flag at the town fortress.
Victory Day is being observed throughout Croatia with wreath-laying ceremonies, requiem masses and other commemorative events.
roatia is marking August 5 as Victory and Homeland Thanksgiving Day and War Veterans' Day and commemorating the 18th anniversary of Operation Storm, a military victory in which the country regained control of most of its occupied territory. In only 84 hours Croatian troops liberated close to 10,500 square kilometres or one-fifth of the country's territory.
More than 200,000 soldiers and police took part in the biggest operation of the Homeland War, of whom 174 were killed and over 1,400 wounded.
