(Hina) - On the occasion of the 25th anniversary of Croatia's international recognition, Foreign and European Affairs Minister Davor Ivo Stier said ahead of Holy Mass in Zagreb's cathedral on Sunday that the act of recognition had a great meaning for Croatia because 12 European Community member states recognised Croatia.
"Today we celebrate the determination of the Croat people to admit that they can and want to be independent and to proceed on the path to creating an independent state. This is what we always must take as a starting fact -- the sovereign will of the Croat people to have their own national state," Stier said before mass.
He underscored that Croatians must be satisfied that this dream had come true and that Croatia had managed to position itself and take its place in the world.
"Of course, there is still a lot of work to be done, but if we take pride in our achievements (...) we can also start solving outstanding issues," Stier said.