Croatia marks the Day of International Recognition

On this day in 1992, Croatia was officially recognized as an independent and sovereign state by the international community.

Speaking to lawmakers, Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković recalled the milestone:

"On this day in 1992, all 12 members of the then European Community recognized Croatia as a sovereign and independent state. This clear political message paved the way for Croatia to receive other important recognitions. Even before that date, our homeland was recognized by some countries that were not themselves internationally recognized, including Slovenia, Lithuania, Latvia and Ukraine. It is worth remembering that the first country to recognize Croatia was Iceland, on December 19, 1991."

Parliament had officially declared independence from the former Yugoslavia on June 25, 1991.