May 30, 2022 - Croatian Statehood Day 2022 has been marked by the famous waterfall!

Croatia celebrates Statehood Day on May 30, when the foundations of a modern Parliament were laid in 1990, confirming its historical role in preserving Croatian statehood. On this occasion, Niagara Falls shone in the colors of the Croatian flag, reports HRT.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken congratulated the Croatian people on Statehood Day on behalf of the United States of America.

"The United States looks forward to further deepening relations with Croatia, strengthening trade and investment ties, strengthening energy security, tackling the climate crisis, and working together to address regional and global challenges, including Putin's unchallenged, unjust, and planned war against Ukraine," the State Department said in a statement.

"Thirty years ago, at the very beginning of our diplomatic relations, we were proud to be with Croatia. We are proud to stand with Croatia today as NATO allies, transatlantic partners, and as two peoples firmly connected by common values and unbreakable bonds of friendship," reads the congratulatory message from Secretary of State Blinken.

The Republic of Croatia celebrates Statehood Day on May 30. It marks the 32nd anniversary of the constitution of the first democratic and multi-party parliament. On May 30, 1990, after a decade of Communist rule, the foundations of a modern parliament were laid, and its historical role in preserving Croatian statehood was confirmed.

In the working part of the session, the Commission for Elections and Appointments was first elected, headed by Ivan Milas, whose proposal the leadership of the first multiparty parliament was elected. Žarko Domljan was elected president, and Ivica Percan, Stjepan Sulimanac, and Vladimir Šeks were vice presidents.

Stipe Mesić was elected President of the Executive Council of the Parliament, and Dr. Franjo Tuđman was elected President of the Presidency of the Socialist Republic of Croatia. He addressed the audience and pointed out that during its long history, "the Croatian National Assembly has been the guardian of the sovereignty (except from 1918 to 1941) of the Croatian people concerning other national and state communities."

The first convocation of the Parliament had 351 deputies and three councils: the municipality, the associated labor, and the socio-political council. The majority, 207 out of 351 seats, was held by HDZ, the League of Communists of Croatia - SDP had 107, the Coalition of People's Accord 21, the Serbian Democratic Party 5, while 13 seats went to independents and representatives of national minorities.

The Parliament worked for a little over two years. Then, in August 1992, elections were held for the House of Representatives of the Croatian Parliament. The new Parliament had only one house and significantly fewer deputies - 138.

(Source Sabor.hr).

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May 30th, 2021 - To mark Croatian Statehood Day, the American Niagara Falls lit up in Croatian colors for the first time in history, twice during the evening of May 29th.

Dalmatinski Portal reports, the beautiful night illumination in red, white, and blue lasted from 9 pm to 9:15 pm and from 10 pm to 10:15 pm East Coast time, which in Croatian time falls on the Statehood Day itself, on May 30 in the early morning hours.

Niagara Falls was illuminated by several hundred LED lights, which light up at dusk, every night of the year. Throughout the year, the waterfalls are specially illuminated to mark significant occasions and holidays and as a sign of support to numerous organizations and associations.

This attractive event, which will further draw attention to Croatia as a desirable tourist destination preferred by Americans, was done at the initiative of the Consulate General of the Republic of Croatia in New York with the support and engagement of the Croatian Tourist Board.

'With this initiative, we wanted to symbolically mark the connection and strategic partnership between the Republic of Croatia and the United States, from culture, sports, and science to foreign policy, defense, and economy. Croatian emigrants are especially deserving of promoting ties and cooperation between their homeland and the country in which they found their new home', said the Consul General of the Republic of Croatia in New York, Nikica Kopačević.

The ceremony was attended by the Ambassador of the Republic of Croatia to the United States Pjer Šimunović, the Mayor of Niagara Falls Robert Restaino, the Military Envoy of the Republic of Croatia to the United States Brigadier General Tomislav Galić, the Consul General of the Republic of Croatia in Los Angeles Renee Pea, the Consul General of the Republic of Croatia in Chicago Sanja Laković, pastor of the Croatian Catholic Parish of Our Lady of Bistrica, Lackawan, New York Rev. Christopher Ćorić and other members of the Croatian community from the state of New York.

‘This special event is important in promoting our country as an attractive tourist destination in the US market. The interest of Americans in our destinations is growing from year to year, which is confirmed by the two newly introduced direct airlines that connect Dubrovnik and New York this season, which makes us better connected with the United States than ever before. We have achieved more than 80,000 overnight stays from this market so far this year, and numerous announcements from our partners suggest that good trends from the US market will continue in the future,' concluded CNTB Director Kristjan Staničić.

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