Plenković: We nurture the culture of remembrance and condemn all totalitarian regimes

Speaking about the takeover of the remains of 500 Croatian victims of World War II and the post-war period from Slovenia - Prime Minister Andrej Plenković said that Croatia condemns all totalitarian regimes and stressed the importance of the culture of remembrance and the dignified burial of victims.

At the beginning of a Government session, Prime Minister Andrej Plenković referred to the takeover of the remains of 500 Croatian victims of World War II and the post-war period, which Croatia took over from Slovenia yesterday. He thanked the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Croatian Veterans' Affairs Tomo Medved and the Ministry of Croatian Veterans' Affairs for implementing this process.

Plenković stressed that these are remains that have been undoubtedly determined to belong to Croatian victims.

“This is, above all, a humanitarian and civilizing act because every victim deserves a dignified burial,” said the Prime Minister. He recalled that the remains were exhumed between 2013 and 2017 from four mass graves at the locations of Trepče, Podstenice, Rugarski klanci, Košnica pri Celju and Crklje ob Krki, i.e. on the route of the Death Marches of the Croatian groups.

The Prime Minister thanked Slovenia for its cooperation and partnership and added that numerous other locations of mass graves have been recorded in Slovenia.

Plenković reminded that the collection of the remains comes immediately before the commemoration of the Bleiburg victims at Mirogoj and Macelj, which will be held on Saturday, May 16, and emphasized: "Croatia nurtures the culture of memory, piety and democratic values and condemns all totalitarian regimes, both Nazi and fascist, and the totalitarian system during the communist era.”

Reflection on Europe Day and preparations for the celebration of the Cetingrad Assembly

The Prime Minister also referred to the celebration of Europe Day and the anniversary of the Schuman Declaration, highlighting activities held across Croatia, including events on Ban Jelačić Square and projects presented as part of the open house of the Ministry of Regional Development and European Union Funds.

Speaking about upcoming activities, he also announced the celebration of the anniversary of the Cetingrad Assembly of 1527, which he called one of the most important moments in Croatian history. He thanked Ministers Tomo Medved, Nataša Mikuš Žigman and Oleg Butković for their engagement in preparing the celebration of this anniversary and the related investments.

Prime Minister Andrej Plenković also reported at the Government session on his meeting with Pope Tawadros II, Patriarch of Alexandria and Head of the Coptic Orthodox Church, who was visiting Europe, including Croatia. He said that the meeting discussed strengthening interreligious dialogue, ecumenism and relations between Croatia and Egypt.

He also referred to the celebration of Dubrovnik-Neretva County Day, during which a monument to children who died in the Homeland War was unveiled in Dubrovnik. He stressed the importance of permanently preserving the memory of the victims woven into Croatian freedom.

Continuation of the policy of returning the Croatian Army to certain parts of the country

The Prime Minister also spoke about the second round of basic military training, thanking Defense Minister Ivan Anušić. He assessed the results of the first round as very positive and pointed out that 260 out of a total of 800 conscripts expressed a desire to remain in the Croatian Army.

Plenković said that one of the goals of the program was to bring the military profession and the Croatian Army closer to young people, and he assessed the results as better than expected.

He also announced the continuation of the policy of returning the Croatian Army to certain parts of the country. After Ploče, Sinj, Pula, Varaždin and Vukovar, the Croatian Army will also return to Baranja, namely to Beli Manastir, where the preparation of project documentation for the development of the barracks is underway.

Plenković: Sports money must be spent transparently

Prime Minister Andrej Plenković also commented on the presentation of the new regulations on the public needs program in sports at the state level, which was presented to the public by the Minister of Tourism and Sports Tonči Glavina.

He pointed out that these are measures that aim to further strengthen the transparency, accountability and efficiency of the sports system and stressed that the proposal has received the support of coalition partners.

Plenković said that the Government wants to ensure that funds for sports, which have increased significantly in recent years, are used transparently, legally and purposefully. He added that the goal is to provide better quality support to sports associations, clubs and collective and individual sports, from work with the youngest ages to national teams.

He stressed that such a system should contribute to the further development of top athletes and their coaches, and he welcomed the initiative of Minister Glavina and his associates as a step towards higher standards of sports management.

Source: HRT