Grlić Radman, Gërvalla-Schwarz visit oldest Croatian diaspora in Janjevo

Ethnic Croats in Janjevo are the best example of how you can be a good Croat and a very good citizen of the Republic of Kosovo, Kosovo's foreign minister Donika Gërvalla-Schwarz said on Tuesday, and her Croatian counterpart reiterated the Croats' wish to be included in the country's constitution.
 
Today we celebrate the 720th anniversary of the name Janjevo, the home of the oldest Croatian diaspora, Croatian Foreign Minister Gordan Grlić Radman said at the ceremony, which was also attended by his Kosovo counterpart, Donika Gërvalla-Schwarz.
 
We want to give strong support to the Croats in Janjevo and other villages such as Vrnavokolo and Letnica so that the Croats, regardless of how many of them are here, enter the Constitution of the Republic of Kosovo, said Grlić Radman.
 
The Croats in Kosovo need strong support so that their properties would be protected, so that they would receive all the necessary infrastructure and have the standard of living that the citizens of Kosovo have, that is the standard enjoyed by members of the Albanian ethnic community in Croatia, Grlić Radman said.
 
In a statement in Croatian, Gërvalla-Schwarz said that Kosovo had started joint financing projects with funds from the European Union and the Kosovo government.
 
The goal is to make Janjevo a magnet for tourists, but not only for tourists from Croatia, but a destination interesting to everyone, she said.
 
On the occasion of the anniversary, many Croats who now live outside Kosovo arrived in Janjevo, said Grlić Radman, adding there were more than a thousand of them.
 
Croatian language course for children in Vinodol
 
He said that the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs for the third year in a row organises a two-week Croatian language course for Janjevo children in the northern Adriatic town of Novi Vinodolski in July.
 
This is our contribution to the Janjevo community, as well as to all other projects that are of interest to them, said Grlić Radman.
 
I expect that in a short time Janjevo will become a good example of coexistence of different religions and nationalities and that it will be a nicer place for children and future generations, said Gërvalla-Schwarz.
 
She invited families who emigrated to return to Kosovo.
 
The minister of foreign affairs of Kosovo, who herself had lived abroad for 30 years, used the opportunity to thank the Croatian diaspora, which was better organized, for helping "us in Kosovo" in the 1990s and later.
 
Text: Hina/MVEP

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