Medved presents awards to HV and HVO units for liberation operations in BiH

The Croatian Deputy Prime Minister and Veterans’ Affairs Minister presented awards in Vitez in central Bosnia to 115 units of the Croatian Army and the Croatian Defense Council that participated in the military operations Maestral and Southern Move, which instigated the collapse of the regime of Serbian President Slobodan Milošević and the establishment of peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Speaking to reporters in the town of Vitez after a wreath and candle lighting ceremony for all of the fallen veterans in operations Maestral and Southern Move, Croatian Deputy Prime Minister and Veterans’ Affairs Minister Tomo Medved emphasized the importance of these military operations: “We are marking the thirtieth anniversary of the collapse of the Milošević regime and the establishment of peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina. With these operations, the people of Bosnia and Herzegovina, but also the entire wider area, gained peace.”

Medved added that many members of the Croatian Army and the Croatian Defense Council gave their lives for freedom and peace in the two operations. In Operation Maestral, 74 Croatian defenders were killed and 226 were wounded, while in Operation Southern Move, 42 were killed and 162 members were wounded.

Operation Maestral, which was jointly carried out by Croatian forces consisting of the Croatian Army (HV) and the Croatian Defense Council (HVO), with the support of Bosnian Muslim forces, enabled the liberation of several cities in western and central Bosnia, including Jajce. Operation Southern Move was the last in a series of liberation operations that completely changed the strategic picture in both Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina. Croatian forces came within 23 kilometers of Banja Luka, forcing the Serbian side to enter into peace negotiations that culminated in the Dayton Peace Agreement in November 1995.

Minister Medved added that the Croatian authorities are obliged to continue providing support to Croats in Bosnia and Herzegovina so that they enjoy equal status with the other constituent peoples of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Source: HRT