02:42Croatia's Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic and President Zoran Milanovic attended celebrations marking the 29th anniversary of Operation Storm in Knin on Monday, commemorating the country's military victory over Serbian rebels in the last battle of the Croatian War of Independence in 1995 and calling it a 'legitimate and fair operation'.
"Just as it was in our habit not to wage wars of conquest, so the Operation Storm was a liberating, defensive, legitimate and fair operation, and therefore we will oppose any attempt to distort historical facts and we will never allow anyone to attack Croatian defenders, soldiers and policemen without whom no one one of us wouldn't be here," Plenkovic said.
Footage shows a flypast and military drills featuring helicopters and soldiers, while guests were watching the ceremony. Milanovic and Plenkovic addressed the crowd.
"We do not celebrate to provoke anyone or to defy anyone, we are not interested in that. We do not want to promote militarism and collect war debt on the population, that is unnecessary. We gather here and we will gather to celebrate freedom and to remind ourselves of how much blood, pain, effort and persistence was needed to resist subjugation," Milanovic said.
Operation Storm was a military campaign on August 4-7 in 1995 that reclaimed territories held by Serb rebels, and restoring Croatian control the self-proclaimed Republic of Serbian Krajina (RSK). The offensive claimed the lives of over 600 civilians according to Human Rights Watch, many of whom were Serbian, and triggered a mass exodus of over tens of thousands of Serbs from Croatia. On Saturday, the Serbian National Council commemorated the civilian victims in Stmica near Knin while Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic condemned 'Storm' calling it a 'pogrom' and a 'terrible crime' according to media reports.
'Legitimate and fair'- PM Plenkovic leads celebrations marking Operation Storm as Serbia condemns 'terrible crime'
Croatia's Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic and President Zoran Milanovic attended celebrations marking the 29th anniversary of Operation Storm in Knin on Monday, commemorating the country's military victory over Serbian rebels in the last battle of the Croatian War of Independence in 1995 and calling it a 'legitimate and fair operation'.
"Just as it was in our habit not to wage wars of conquest, so the Operation Storm was a liberating, defensive, legitimate and fair operation, and therefore we will oppose any attempt to distort historical facts and we will never allow anyone to attack Croatian defenders, soldiers and policemen without whom no one one of us wouldn't be here," Plenkovic said.
Footage shows a flypast and military drills featuring helicopters and soldiers, while guests were watching the ceremony. Milanovic and Plenkovic addressed the crowd.
"We do not celebrate to provoke anyone or to defy anyone, we are not interested in that. We do not want to promote militarism and collect war debt on the population, that is unnecessary. We gather here and we will gather to celebrate freedom and to remind ourselves of how much blood, pain, effort and persistence was needed to resist subjugation," Milanovic said.
Operation Storm was a military campaign on August 4-7 in 1995 that reclaimed territories held by Serb rebels, and restoring Croatian control the self-proclaimed Republic of Serbian Krajina (RSK). The offensive claimed the lives of over 600 civilians according to Human Rights Watch, many of whom were Serbian, and triggered a mass exodus of over tens of thousands of Serbs from Croatia. On Saturday, the Serbian National Council commemorated the civilian victims in Stmica near Knin while Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic condemned 'Storm' calling it a 'pogrom' and a 'terrible crime' according to media reports.
Croatia's Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic and President Zoran Milanovic attended celebrations marking the 29th anniversary of Operation Storm in Knin on Monday, commemorating the country's military victory over Serbian rebels in the last battle of the Croatian War of Independence in 1995 and calling it a 'legitimate and fair operation'.
"Just as it was in our habit not to wage wars of conquest, so the Operation Storm was a liberating, defensive, legitimate and fair operation, and therefore we will oppose any attempt to distort historical facts and we will never allow anyone to attack Croatian defenders, soldiers and policemen without whom no one one of us wouldn't be here," Plenkovic said.
Footage shows a flypast and military drills featuring helicopters and soldiers, while guests were watching the ceremony. Milanovic and Plenkovic addressed the crowd.
"We do not celebrate to provoke anyone or to defy anyone, we are not interested in that. We do not want to promote militarism and collect war debt on the population, that is unnecessary. We gather here and we will gather to celebrate freedom and to remind ourselves of how much blood, pain, effort and persistence was needed to resist subjugation," Milanovic said.
Operation Storm was a military campaign on August 4-7 in 1995 that reclaimed territories held by Serb rebels, and restoring Croatian control the self-proclaimed Republic of Serbian Krajina (RSK). The offensive claimed the lives of over 600 civilians according to Human Rights Watch, many of whom were Serbian, and triggered a mass exodus of over tens of thousands of Serbs from Croatia. On Saturday, the Serbian National Council commemorated the civilian victims in Stmica near Knin while Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic condemned 'Storm' calling it a 'pogrom' and a 'terrible crime' according to media reports.