REMARKS BY

 

H.E. DR. IVO SANADER

 

PRIME MINISTER

 

OF THE REPUBLIC OF CROATIA

 

AT THE 110TH ANNIVERSARY BANQUET

 

OF THE CROATIAN FRATERNAL UNION

 

 

PITTSBURGH, PA

 

SEPTEMBER 26, 2004

 

 

Honorable President of the Croatian Fraternal Union, your eminence cardinal, dear Croats and members of the Croatian Fraternal Union, dear friends of Croatian people, ladies and gentlemen!

 

I cordially express my greetings to all members of the Croatian Fraternal Union on their 110th Anniversary, in behalf of the government of the Republic of Croatia and myself.

 

The 110th Anniversary of the Croatian Fraternal Union is an important and significant occasion. It speaks about the vitality of Croats, who have been able to preserve their national identity, culture and customs through many different generations in the New World. It speaks about the strength of Croats, who organized themselves when they most needed to, for protection purposes in a foreign country, where they started to build their new life and new homeland.

 

It speaks also, about the Croatian love toward their old, original homeland, because through the Croatian Fraternal Union, they maintained their relationship with Croatia. At last, it speaks about Croatian candor which open-heartedly and successfully embraced the new world as Croats’ new homeland. The Croatian nation, proportional to its number, is one of the nations with the largest diaspora. Almost half of us are living outside the Republic of Croatia. In one period of my life, I was an emigrant too. As the Croatian prime minister and politician, leader of the party which created and incorporated the idea of union of native and emigrant Croatia, I would like to tell you that Croatian emigrants are not only the second lung of our nation, they are, they were, and they should be, the motor of further prosperity and promotion of Croatian interests and Croatian nation in general.

 

The wave of emigrants from Croatia, which arrived in the United States in second half of the 19th century, found themselves in new and difficult conditions. Our people have realized that it is important to build the conditions for better care for themselves and their families. The need for self-protection and promotion of their own interests, commenced the idea of united organization of all Croats in America. Distinguished and memorable Croats - Zdravko Muzina, Petar Pavlinc, Franjo Sepic and editors of first Croatian emigrant newspapers - Nikola Polic and Juraj Skrivanic founded the Croatian Society by the example of Czech and Slovak societies.

 

From its beginning, the Croatian Fraternal Union was a humanitarian and patriotic organization which encouraged all the members to maintain constant connections with the old homeland and fulfilled the need for talking about Croats and Croatia in America. Thanks to that vision, today we celebrate the 110th Anniversary of the Croatian Fraternal Union and continuation of the Croatian name. The Catholic church had a grand contribution in the realization of that idea, respectively those Croatian priests which arrived in America for spiritual service of our emigrants.

 

Therefore with particular gratification, I compliment here the Croatian cardinal, president of the Croatian Bishop’s Conference (HBK) and Archbishop of the Zagreb Diocese Josip Cardinal Bozanic and other priests which are present at this event.

 

Ladies and gentlemen!

 

You, in the Croatian Fraternal Union, always paid attention to the younger generations and that was crucial for the subsitence of the Croatian name, language, culture and tradition. Even in the time after World War II, when a new, huge wave of Croatian emigrants arrived in America, the Croatian Fraternal Union wisely called for unity of all the American-Croats: those who just came, as well as those born in the United States. You called for exchange of knowledge, cooperation of generations and breaking down of cultural barriers. The newcomers, on the other side, have helped descendents of previous immigrants to better understand the world of their ancestors. That was the strength and significance of the Croatian Fraternal Union and its leadership.

 

In the time of the creation of independent, sovereign and democratic Croatia, during the War for Independence, the Croatian Fraternal Union provided much assistance on political and humanitarian fronts. You have been a promoter of the Croatian name in America, at the service of the American-Croatians and generous in your support of Croats in the homeland in their fight for freedom and independence. You helped better understanding, so that the United States and Canada could recognize us as an independent country. You helped thousands of refugees and victims of the War for Independence. You helped the Croats in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

 

Your members have shown pride in belonging to the Croatian nation, while remaining respectable and loyal citizens of the United States. American-Croatians are an important part of sincere friendship which exists among the Croatia and the United States. That friendship we would like to preserve further on. In Zagreb, we proudly note, one of the most important avenues, a connection between the old and new part of the town is named the Croatian Fraternal Union Avenue.

 

President Luketich, I would like to thank you in behalf of the Croatian government and on my own for your attentive, determined and efficient fulfillment of all these goals of the Croatian Fraternal Union under your leadership, as well as for the respect which your organization has, not only in the United States but in Croatia too and among the whole Croatian nation.

 

The Croatian government, which I have the honor and responsibility to lead by the decision of Croatian voters, today is concentrated on three important goals. The first one is completion of the process of international affirmation of our country. The respect and credibility, earned with our clear devotion to high ideals of democracy and freedom, brought us at the doorway of the European Union, the society of equal nations and countries.

 

With the United States and Canada, we are closely cooperating in regard to our membership in NATO, which would expend the area of stability and security in Southeast Europe and strengthen the trans-Atlantic partnership. On the eve of the 59th meeting of General Council of the UN, I met again with American President George W. Bush and Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin.

 

With our politics, we have been demonstrating the way for other countries in our eastern region, indicating that loyalty toward democracy, protection of human rights, reconciliation, justice and tolerance will pay off, because that is the civilized road in one direction.

 

The second important goal is not only to adjust our legislation with the Europeans, but to enable it so it can be a sure frame for prosperous citizen life as well as the injection of foreign capital in Croatia and full employment.

 

And the third, we would like to encourage the full swing of the economy to increase the standard of life of our citizens. That is why we need the blossom of little and middle enterprisers, better fiscal politics and orientation toward business and financial potential of Croatian immigrants. The Croatian diaspora has to recognize in Croatia the same condition which already exists in western developed countries. Then, the businessmen will be able to conduct business with Croatia without the risk as they do with the other countries all over the world.

 

Therefore, we are turning toward development and we want to open our doors to the Croatian diaspora for its investments and business in Croatia. The state will create the conditions, and everything else will be up to the capabilities of the businessmen.

 

President Luketich, ladies and gentleman, continuing after these words of invitation to our Croatian diaspora, allow me one more time to cordially congratulate you on the 110th Anniversary of the Croatian Fraternal Union.

 

Let the Croatian Fraternal Union continue to be the bridge of cooperation and friendship between the United States and Croatia, successfully preserving and maintaining the relationships with the Old Homeland. In the time ahead, let the Croatian Fraternal Union be open even more towards those Croats who just arrived in the United States. Today, there are many American - Croats who are organizing themselves beside the Croatian Fraternal Union.

 

I am sure that must be a place for them too in this fundamental, the oldest and the most respectable organization of Croatians on the American continent. Let the Croatian Fraternal Union work in the future like it has worked so far, on the strength and promotion of the Croatian name in the United States.

 

Thank you!