ZAGREB, May 29, 2019 - Addressing a special ceremony held in Zagreb on Tuesday on the occasion of Croatian Armed Forces' Day, President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović, who is the supreme commander, underscored that opinion polls showed that "the Croatian people has the highest confidence in the Croatian army among all state institutions".
In the last three years, we have achieved a lot. By increasing the defence budget, we have created requirements for an increased investment in the Croatian army and thus in the future of the Croatian state, she said.
She spoke about the importance of continuing to upgrade the armed forces not as a means of force but as the guarantor of peace and prosperity of Croatia.
"We are restoring the Croatian Army to its splendour and the dignity of each member of the army by improving the conditions of their work and life," Grabar-Kitarović said.
Croatian Armed Forces' day is held on 28 May in memory of the very first line-up of the Croatian National Guard (ZNG) and special units of the Croatian Interior Ministry at the stadium in Zagreb's Kranjčevićeva Street on 28 May 1991.
Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković said that over the past 28 years, the Croatian Armed Forces "have shown their capability of transformation and permanent adjustment and flexibility so as to be ready to carry out their constitutional tasks and protect national interests".
He said that nowadays the armed forces are able to respond to possible security threats and challenges from the complex, immediate and global environment.
Defence Minister Damir Krstičević described the Croatian army as "a powerful and respectable arm and the guarantor of peace and security". "We are making our victorious army stronger and stronger and we are achieving new top-notch capabilities".
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