ZAGREB, 5 Aug (Hina) – PM Andrej Plenković said on Tuesday, at the central celebration of Victory and Homeland Thanksgiving Day and the 30th anniversary of Operation Storm, that the commemoration in Knin each year is an occasion not only to remember but also to reaffirm what Operation Storm means and what it obliges us to do.
Looking to the future, the Prime Minister asserted that peace is not won once but that it must be safeguarded every day.
“In a world that is once again in flames -В from Ukraine to the Middle East – it is becoming clear that security requires vigilance, determination, and constant investment. Taught by the experience of the Homeland War, and especially Operation Storm, we know there is no freedom without strength, and no peace without the ability to defend it,” Plenković said.
He also mentioned last week’s military parade in Zagreb, saying that it demonstrated that the Croatian Armed Forces today are a powerful, well-equipped, and highly trained regional force.
“The 5th of August is not just an anniversary, it is a day of Croatian conscience, a vow to the homeland that we will always protect it, a vow to our defenders that we will never forget them, and a vow to our children that we are leaving them a country that knows its worth and the price at which it was gained. It is a day of our pride, unity, and strength,” the Prime Minister said in his speech during the commemoration at the FCВ Dinara stadium.
Plenković said that 30 years have passed since Operation Storm, and yet the memories of those days of pride and glory are still vivid, 30 years since Croatia was liberated and secured its future.
“Every year here in Knin we gather with the same emotions: pride in our victory, gratitude to our defenders, and reverence for the fallen. But today, on the anniversary of Croatia’s greatest victory, we are not here just to remember. We are here to reaffirm what Operation Storm means to us, what it demands of us, and what it teaches us,” the Prime Minister stated.
“Three decades ago, the united strength of the Croatian people liberated occupied towns and villages, defeated the aggressor, and restored life and dignity to the displaced and refugees. Above all, it brought peace… Today, that Croatian strength no longer defends the homeland with weapons, but with responsibility, knowledge, and determination, preserving our fundamental values,” he added.
Operation Storm largest land battle in Europe at that time since World War II
Plenković said Operation Storm was the largest land battle in Europe at that time since World War II, a battle that broke the project of Greater Serbia, defeated the aggressor, changed the military and geopolitical order of Southeast Europe, determined Croatia’s destiny, and enabled the end of the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
“Operation Storm did not only liberate Croatia, it also prevented another tragedy in Bosnia and Herzegovina,” he said.
The premier also stated that Operation Storm paved the way for the return of displaced Croatians to their homes and for the peaceful reintegration of the Croatian Danube region and the City of Vukovar, and the establishment of Croatian authority over the entire national territory.
“After the war, Croatia also enabled the return of Croatian Serbs who wished to come back,” Plenković added, emphasising that in doing so, the country demonstrated political maturity, moral responsibility, and human compassion.
Operation Storm, Plenković continued, affirmed Croatian strength, “a strength that does not enslave, but liberates, a strength that does not threaten, but protects; a strength that does not destroy, but creates.”
“That strength did not fade with Operation Storm, it still lives today in every Croatian soldier loyal to the homeland, and in every Croatian person, wherever they live, in Croatia or around the world. It is reflected in every Croatian success, in every victory, and in every difficult decision by which we together build a secure, free, and dignified state,” he stated.
Plenković paid tribute to all those who gave their lives for Croatia’s freedom, emphasising that their sacrifice is not just a number, but a vow of gratitude, because thanks to them, Croatia became its own, sovereign and free.
He also paid tribute to the strength of Croatian women who stood by their soldiers, to the children whose childhoods were stolen by war, and to members of other nationalities who shared the same fight for Croatia. He made a special point of remembering the 1,744 missing persons, stating: “We expect Belgrade to finally demonstrate real willingness to cooperate, because without the full truth about the missing, there can be no sincere relations, nor a European future.”
