President and MP of the Croatian Civic Initiative (HGI), Adrijan Vuksanović, thanked the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Montenegro and Croatia, Ervin Ibrahimović and Gordan Grlić Radman, for handing over the "Josip Marković" Cultural Center to Croatia.
He said this in a post on the social network Facebook.
"Today we are not triumphing, but we are proud and joyful. We are not driven by hatred towards those who express it towards us, but we are dedicated to the new paradigms that lie ahead of us. Therefore, although we are few in number, we are not small. We will do our best to protect our Cultural Center, preserving our Croatian identity and our Montenegro," said Vuksanović.
The Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Montenegro, Ervin Ibrahimović, and Croatia, Gordan Grlić-Radman, signed yesterday at the "Josip Marković" Cultural Center in Donja Lastva near Tivat an agreement between the two governments, which donates the Cultural Center, which is state property of Montenegro, to the Republic of Croatia.
"And we will also preserve the Resolution ordering us to 'liberate the space from people and things', by which they intended to expel us from what our ancestors, more than a century ago, built for the needs of the Croatian Reading Room Ljudevit Gaj and the Croatian Falcon. Among them was my great-grandfather Tripo Ucović, the leader of the Croatian Falcon from the beginning of the 20th century. Thanks to the unity with Croatia and Prime Minister Andrej Plenković, as well as numerous Montenegrin citizens who expressed their willingness to defend the Cultural Center from unculture in those days, the 'space from things and people' was not liberated," added Vuksanović.
As he pointed out, they have remained and will remain their own people - Croats in their own Montenegro, and said that he thanked the Prime Minister of Croatia, Andrej Plenković.
"Yesterday, in a telephone conversation, I thanked Mr. Plenković for everything, both human and political. Croatia's understanding and support is the strength of Croats in Montenegro. Yesterday, I also spoke with Prime Minister Milojko Spajić and thanked him for the effort he made, which led to a just solution to the status of our House. I have attacked him many times before for disagreements and individual decisions, but since we pursue an objective policy, yesterday was a day to be commended. We have always acted in this way and we will remain consistent," said the HGI leader.
He thanked Grlić Radman and Ibrahimović for their engagement and the signature that ended the process, and called them "his friends."
"Dear Gordan, thank you for being with us in the throes of the struggle, which we knew we would see to a victorious end, to justice. Dear Ervin, today you are accused of giving something away and giving what is not yours to those who do not have it. We should not expect them to respect the rights of minorities, when they do not even respect the right to their own dignity. They delivered it to someone else, just as they want to deliver their homeland, Montenegro. That is natural for them. Dear Ervin, Croats in Montenegro and European Montenegro itself are grateful to you," he said.
According to him, immeasurable credit for yesterday belongs to the man who suffered a lot to make it happen.
"He is Zvonimir Deković, my friend and political comrade. I know he was happy yesterday, but less so today. He is busy with new plans and goals. Thank you to him," Vuksanović concluded.
Bonus video:
