“You fought hard and bloodily in the recent war. You had no weapons, equipment, or money. The Croatian state helped as much as it could, Croatia gave a lot, however, the Croatian Defense Council also gave a lot," said the President of the Republic, Zoran Milanović, on Saturday in Tomislavgrad at the celebration of the 32nd anniversary of the founding of the Brigade "King Tomislav”.

In his ceremonial address, President Milanović recalled how he awarded the Croatian Guard Brigades of the Croatian Defense Council, the Military Police Brigade, and the "King Tomislav" Brigade with the Nikola Šubić Zrinski decorations. "This is an exceptional decoration that shows how I, as the current Croatian president, see things. And I see it as your contribution being the same as the contribution of the Croatian Army, that you fought and suffered in the same way and that you are part of one combat corps and one idea of defense, one defense and one liberation," said the President.

"Without the Croatian Army, there would be no today's free Bosnia and Herzegovina, which we respect, for which we do not strive, but in which we seek equal rights for Croats as prescribed in the letter, and that letter is the Dayton Agreement. And it is not respected. The Croats of Bosnia and Herzegovina deserve that their rights be respected," added President Milanović, emphasizing that the Croatian brigades of the Croatian Defense Council were decorated for these enormous merits. "If it was fought based on an agreement and the letter that we, our army and you in the neighboring country, fought legally, then it is not nice to hear complaints about some kind of joint criminal enterprise or that the Croatian Army was an occupying army," he said.

Furthermore, in his address, he spoke about the treatment of members of the Croatian Defense Council and their rights. "Their rights are not fully resolved, and I am sure it is not because someone in the current Croatian executive power has anything against the Croatian Defense Council. This is something that the Croatian state will have to take upon itself even after 30 years because these people are still alive and they are not satisfied," emphasized President Milanović.

He expressed his belief that Croatia will very soon be able to, in a symbolic way, help Croats to gain their rights through amendments to the Election Law. "This is a symbolic thing and it is important. It is important to Croats who and how representatives are elected in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and that means that state is important to them as well. Croatia could have done this several times in the last few years, but other interests were looked at, there were some calculations. But now that the European elections are over, when the functions are divided, now is the time - without fear of offending anyone - to say: this is Croatian and it will be gained," explained the President.

He reiterated that Croatia, like the Croats from Bosnia and Herzegovina, "wants Bosnia and Herzegovina to join the European Union, but in a proper and dignified way, and not as a social case because the Croats in Bosnia and Herzegovina have never been a social case", and he pointed out that the Croats of Bosnia and Herzegovina from Zagreb and from him personally will never hear a word or gesture that would direct them to act against the state they belong to, and that is Bosnia and Herzegovina. "But, that you will hear about your rights, you will hear, and I will advocate for that all the time because it is a constitutional duty," he emphasized.

"The best symbol of your belonging and feeling was the moment, not only here, when after the playing and intonation of the Croatian anthem - which you announced here as the anthem of the Croatian people - you applauded. It shows a special kind of spiritual loyalty and solidarity, so just keep applauding after the Croatian anthem. It is the anthem of the Croatian state, the Republic of Croatia, a modern state, open, tolerant, a state that remembers but does not forget what has been done. It is the song of both you and the Croats all over the world," concluded President Milanović.

Before the ceremony, President Milanović and his delegation laid a wreath at the memorial to the fallen Croatian soldiers. In President Milanović's delegation were the Ambassador of the Republic of Croatia to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Mr. sc. Ivan Sabolić, Head of the President's Office Bartol Šimunić, the President's Special Advisor for Homeland War Veterans Marijan Mareković, Consul Advisor in the Consulate of the Republic of Croatia in Livno Božo Vodopija, and the Military Attaché of the Republic of Croatia in Bosnia and Herzegovina Davor Kiralj.