CONTENT
NATO/EU membership will solidify Croatia's historic
links with the West
President
Stjepan Mesic:
Signaling a maturation of Croatian democracy
Zagreb
as a destination:
Croatia's capital should not be overlooked
A
nation resolved to overcomeits tough heritage
Privatized
tourism industry will become engine of growth for Croatia
Croatia's
best lobbyist: its US Ambassador
Croatia's
resilient economy continues to grow
Ron
Brown credited for introducing US business to Croatia
Chemical
warfare conventions changed over fertilizer plant attacks
Film
and television producer Vladimir Kraljevic symbolizes worldwide success
of Croatian-Americans
What's
it like to visit Croatia?
State
of Minnesota develops close relationship with Croatia
Esplanade
hotel captures history and spirit of Zagreb
Spread
the word:
Croatia is an extraordinarily safe place to visit
Mega-Yachts:
the biggest status symbols in the world
Croatia
Airlines:
Creating a national identity during war and peace
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A nation resolved to overcome its tough heritage
One of the important
steps that Croatia took in order to fully secure its independence was
to work with the Alexandria, Virginia based Military Professional Resources
Incorporated (MPRI) organization. Croatian Foreign Minister Tonino Picula
noted that at the time of Croatian independence in 1991 his country had
virtually no military to call upon in order to oppose the Serb-dominated
Yugoslavian army.
"We started
at the beginning of the 1990’s lacking all kind of assistance,"
said Minister Picula. "We faced a war of aggression. We needed all
kinds of friends to enhance our capability to keep a schedule. I know
that it [MPRI] did a significant job in Croatia as a part of US assistance
to Croatia during the 1990s."
In addition to playing
a major role in helping Croatia achieve its rightful independence the
MPRI organization has done much to help Croatia establish a military system
which works in harmony with a democratic government. Because of this,
in part, the nation is now poised for membership in the two major Euro-Atlantic
institutions- the European Union and NATO.
Croatia has also
demonstrated its sense of purpose by agreeing to hand over to The Hague
two of its top generals, both of whom stand accused of war crimes.
"We have a problem-how
to get rid of this very tough heritage,” says Picula. “We have
to balance ambition and capacity. We’ve tried to change the outlook
of this country in the world. But, to be viewed is not enough, you have
to be clever."
Croatia has stood
by its Dayton agreements most notably on the issue of protecting the rights
of minorities. According to Picula this has been a "very significant"
aspect in demonstrating Croatia’s harmonization with Western standards
and ideals. The Minister states "You can’t be recognized as
a member of the civilized world and group of democratic countries escaping
resolving such a question."
"We are trying
our best to implement European type legislation in this country to protect
individual and minority rights. We are doing it for ourselves, not because
of some kind of pressure coming from the outside world. We adopted last
year a couple of very important laws which are providing minorities the
right to use their native language in official purposes and to be educated
in their native languages."
"Now we are on our way to adopt a new constitutional law on minorities in Croatia."
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