Ambassador Jurica Meets With Representatives of Croatian Organizations, Groups in Chicago

Washington, D.C., October 28, 2004 – Croatian Ambassador Neven Jurica visited Chicago, Illinois, on October 20-25, as part of his tour of the United States. Ambassador Jurica held meetings with representatives of the Croatian organizations, associations and clubs in Chicago and Milwaukee, with whom he discussed the political and economic situation in Croatia.

Ambassador Jurica held a meeting with Mr. Melkior Masina, president of the Croatian Catholic Union, the focus of which were the activities and influence of this organization in the U.S. On his visit to the Croatian Catholic Institute, Croatian Franciscans and Monastery of St. Ante, Ambassador Jurica met with Friar Ljubo Krasic, director of the Institute of Ethnicity. The Croatian Ambassador held meetings with other friars to whom he relayed the foreign policy goals and priorities of the Croatian government, while highlighting Croatia’s position as candidate country for the EU and the importance of integration of Croatia into international alliances and organizations. This will, said the Ambassador, contribute to improving the position of Croatians in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Ambassador Jurica also visited the Dominican parish of Cardinal Alojzije Stepinac, which has in recent years been frequented by many Croatians from Bosnia and Herzegovina. Ambassador Jurica met with representatives of the parish, Father Nikola Dugandzic and Father Frane Prcela, with whom he discussed possible future roles of Croatian diplomatic missions to the U.S., given that children of first-generation immigrants are becoming all the more assimilated into the American culture. Ambassador Jurica also visited the parish of St. Jerome and the parish of the Most Holy Heart of Christ.

Ambassador Jurica visited the University of Notre Dame, where world-famous Croatian sculptor Ivan Mestrovic worked from 1955 to 1962, and where the largest number of his works are stored. The Croatian Ambassador expressed his support to a planned initiative that will call for adding onto labels on Mestrovic’s sculptures in Chicago and Notre Dame the fact that he is Croatian. One of Mestrovic’s works, a prominent memorial to American Indians, located in the center of Chicago, is a work of Ivan Mestrovic.

At the Croatian Cultural Center Ambassador Jurica met with representatives of all Croatian organizations and associations in Chicago and Milwaukee. The organizations taking part were Croatian Women, Croatian American Association, Croatian Fraternal Union, Croatian Cultural Center, Grupa 100, and the clubs Poljica and Solta. The Croatian Ambassador relayed to representatives of the present parties the current political and economic situation in Croatia, the priorities of the Croatian government, the situation of Croatians in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the relations between the Croatian government and the Croatian Diaspora. Ambassador Jurica stressed the importance of investing in Croatia, and noted that the installment of the “one-stop-shop” initiative will remove administrative barriers for investment in Croatia (see Newsletter of Embassy of Croatia, Croatia Today, for more information on this initiative). The Croatian Ambassador called on descendants of first-generation immigrants to register and renovate the property of their ancestors in Croatia, as this will lead to a revitalization of certain areas.