Surrender of 21st Kordun Corps recalled at Operation Storm commemoration

The surrender of the 21st Kordun Corps is a symbol of Croatia’s victory in Operation Storm, while preserving the memory of the sacrifices made by Croatian defenders is an obligation to future generations, speakers said on Saturday.

The remarks were made at the Victory Wall in Gornji Viduševac, near Glina, during a commemoration marking the 31st anniversary of the end of Operation Storm.

On August 8, 1995, at that location, Colonel Čedo Bulat, commander of the 21st Kordun Corps of the Serbian Army of Krajina, surrendered to Croatian General Petar Stipetić. The event was one of the key moments marking the end of the military-police operation.

The commemoration was attended by Croatian defenders, family members of killed and missing defenders, as well as state, county and local officials.

Ivan Turudić, president of the Croatian Association of Serbian Concentration Camp Prisoners for Split-Dalmatia County, stressed the importance of establishing the truth and securing legal accountability.

"If we do not tell the truth, if it does not receive its satisfaction through the legal framework, both in Croatia and in Serbia, if there are no final judgments, the question is: what kind of message are we leaving for future generations?" said Turudić.

Darko Nekić, State Secretary at the Ministry of Croatian Veterans and envoy of Prime Minister Andrej Plenković, said Croatia’s fallen defenders must remain foremost in the country’s collective memory.

"The most important thing we must remember today is the contribution of our fallen veterans, whether from the police or the army, so that we could stand here today and so that we, our children and grandchildren could proudly stand here and witness the feat of our predecessors," said Nekić.

Nekić added that the idea of a Greater Serbia can still be heard coming from Serbia today. He said it is therefore important for the Croatian Army to remain well equipped and armed as a guarantor of Croatia’s independence and territorial integrity, and to ensure that the events of 1991 are never repeated.

MP Marijana Petir, envoy of Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković, said the surrender of the 21st Kordun Corps was one of the most important moments of Operation Storm.

She said the event also demonstrated the attitude of Croatian forces towards the defeated side, stressing that Croatian soldiers acted with dignity and responsibility, without any need to humiliate those who had been defeated.

Retired General Marijan Mareković, envoy of President and Commander-in-Chief Zoran Milanović, said Operation Storm laid the foundations for the peaceful reintegration of the remaining occupied areas in eastern Croatia, without further loss of life.