Adrijan Vuksanović, President and MP of the Croatian Civic Initiative (HGI), expressed gratitude to the Foreign Ministers of Montenegro and Croatia, Ervin Ibrahimović and Gordan Grlić Radman, for transferring the “Josip Marković” Cultural Center to Croatia.

This was stated in a post on his Facebook profile.

“Today, we are not celebrating through triumph, but instead, we feel pride and joy. We are not fueled by animosity towards those who express it towards us, but rather committed to the new paths that lie before us. Thus, even if we are few, we are not insignificant. We will strive to safeguard our Cultural Center, preserving our Croatian identity within Montenegro,” Vuksanović stated.

On the previous day, the Foreign Ministers of Montenegro and Croatia signed an agreement at the “Josip Marković” Cultural Center in Donja Lastva near Tivat, transferring the state property of Montenegro to the Republic of Croatia.

“We will also uphold the Resolution that instructs us to ‘liberate the space from people and objects,’ which was aimed at displacing us from what our ancestors established for the Croatian Reading Room Ljudevit Gaj and the Croatian Falcon over a century ago. Among them was my great-grandfather, Tripo Ucović, who led the Croatian Falcon at the beginning of the 20th century. Thanks to the unity with Croatia and Prime Minister Andrej Plenković, as well as numerous Montenegrin citizens willing to defend the Cultural Center from cultural degradation, the ‘space from things and people’ remains untouched,” Vuksanović elaborated.

He emphasized their commitment to remain steadfast as Croats in Montenegro and thanked Prime Minister Andrej Plenković.

“Yesterday, I called Mr. Plenković to express my gratitude for everything, both personally and politically. Croatia’s support is the strength of Croats in Montenegro. I also spoke with Prime Minister Milojko Spajić to appreciate his efforts that led to a fair solution regarding the status of our House. I have publicly criticized him many times over individual disagreements, but since we aim for an objective policy, yesterday deserved commendation. We have always acted this way and will continue to do so,” stated the HGI leader.

He acknowledged Grlić Radman and Ibrahimović for their dedication and the signature that finalized the agreement, calling them “friends.”

“Dear Gordan, thank you for standing by us through the struggle, which we anticipated would reach a victorious conclusion, achieving justice. Dear Ervin, today you’re being criticized for giving away something that isn’t yours to those who lack it. We shouldn’t expect respect for minority rights from those who don’t even uphold their own dignity. They handed it to someone else, just like they intend to do with their homeland, Montenegro. Unfortunately, that is their nature. Dear Ervin, the Croats in Montenegro and European Montenegro are thankful to you,” he expressed.

According to him, immense credit for the previous day belongs to Zvonimir Deković, who endured significant hardship to make this possible.

“He is my friend and political ally. I know he was satisfied yesterday, although perhaps less so today as he is already occupied with new goals and plans. My thanks extend to him,” Vuksanović concluded.

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