Employees of the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs were saddened to receive the news of the death of Mr. Anton Tus (1931-2023), retired Staff General, first Chief of the General Staff of the Croatian Army and the first Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary - Head of the Mission of the Republic of Croatia to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
The merits of General Tus in the Homeland War are immeasurable. As a lieutenant general in the armed forces of the former Yugoslavia, at the beginning of May 1991, he was relieved of his duties as commander of the Air Force and air defense and retired, for the reason that he openly opposed the policy of Greater Serbia and the war plans of the political and military leadership in Belgrade. He made himself available to the Croatian leadership, and on September 21, 1991, President Tuđman appointed him to the position of the Chief of Staff of the Croatian Army, created on the foundations of the former Command of the National Guard Corps. In his capacity as the first war chief of the General Staff, General Tus managed the development and growth of the Croatian forces and their successful defensive and offensive operations in the fall and winter of 1991, in the most critical phase of the defense against Greater Serbian aggression, when the very survival of the Croatian people and state hung in the balance. General Tus also made a great contribution in other high positions he held during the Homeland War, as chief military adviser to the President of the Republic and head of the Office for International Military Cooperation. For his wartime merits, he was awarded a number of high state awards, and in May 2000, he was promoted to the highest rank in the Armed Forces of the Republic of Croatia: staff general.
General Tus rendered outstanding services to Croatia and its citizens as the first head of the Mission of the Republic of Croatia to NATO in the period 2001-2005. During his term in office, Croatia was included in the Membership Action Plan (MAP), through which it successfully implemented the necessary reforms and preparations for membership of the Alliance. Numerous employees of the foreign affairs service, who during that period had the honor of working with General Tus and providing him support, will remember him not only as an exquisite expert in defense and security matters, but also as a good, modest and noble man.
At this time, our thoughts and prayers are with the bereaved Tus family. Rest in peace, great General, forever in our beloved Croatia that you loved so much, and to which you gave so much!
Gordan Grlić Radman,
Minister of Foreign and European Affairs
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