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Zagreb - Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković on Sunday issued a Statehood Day message, wishing that the harmony and togetherness which led Croats in the creation of a free, independent and democratic Croatia be an additional incentive to continue to develop Croatian society on patriotism, dialogue, tolerance, the harmonising of differences and cooperation to the benefit of all Croats at home and abroad.
He recalled that on 25 June 1991 parliament adopted a constitutional decision on Croatia's sovereignty and independence, and a declaration on the proclamation of sovereign and independent Croatia, saying they represented the constitutional framework for Croatia's independence, in line with the will the Croatian people expressed at a referendum that May.
With that, the Croatian people realised its centuries-long aspiration for the right to have its own identity and to develop it in an independent and sovereign Croatia, Jandroković said. The period of the creation of independent and democratic Croatia united the Croatian people, showing on which patriotic ideals and democratic values it wanted to live in the future. In togetherness and unity, the Croatian people and all citizens who considered Croatia their homeland showed determination in defending independence and territorial integrity from Greater Serbia aggression, he said.
Therefore we must never forget the price we paid to have and defend our own state, and that is why today we thank all the defenders and their families without whose sacrifice in the Homeland War there would be no Croatia today, he added.
Today Croatia is a country of democratic values, of peace, freedom, equality, respect for human rights, social justice, rule of law and pluralism, a country turned to the future, without forgetting its rich past, an active member state of the European Union contributing to the progress of all European nations, Jandroković said. Croatia must be our common and only interest as a prosperous country, with stable and strong institutions, based on economic growth, high employment, population renewal, a society of knowledge, and solidarity. (Hina)