It was attended by the President of the Republic as Supreme Commander of the Croatian Armed Forces, Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovi\u0107, the Defence Minister Josip Buljevi\u0107, the Chief of the General Staff of the Croatian Armed Forces, General Mirko \u0160undov, the Commander of the Croatian Navy, Rear admiral Predrag Stipanovi\u0107, a number of former and present member of the Navy and senior visitors.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The President in her address congratulated the 25th anniversary \u201c my appreciation goes to the seamen, NCOs and officers of the Croatian Navy who during the Homeland War gave immense contribution to the independence and sovereignty of Croatia. As we are also marking the 25th anniversary of the battle for \u0160ibenik, I am extending my gratitude and sincere congratulations to the brave defenders waging the battle, particularly those in the island of\u00a0 \u017dirje. The battle for \u0160ibenik was one of the crucial ones for the defence of Dalmatia, which enabled the liberation of the occupied territories of Croatia. The President also congratulated on the endeavours and the commitment which merited the Croatian Armed Forces the membership and equal status among\u00a0 NATO nations, and Croatia a respectable and constructive member of the European Union and of the international community. The Defence Minister Josip Buljevi\u0107 extended his congratulations to the members of the Croatian Navy as well. \u201c\u0160ibenik is the place where the first combat vessels were restored to Croatia, which served as the nucleus of the Croatian Navy. Its members have spent the past 25 years building it into a respectable force, a guarantee of security and stablity of the Adriatic Sea, Top-trained members of the Croatian Navy constitute its main asset, and it should remain so\u201c, said the Minister \u201c.<\/p>\n
The Chief of the General Staff, General Mirko \u0160undov proudly congratulated on the Croatian Navy Day and on the 25th anniversary, coinciding with the marking of the September war in \u0160ibenik, the town whose residents defended Dalmatia and Croatia.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201eCroatia is duly proud of its maritime traditon, naval construction but mostly of its people. The members of the Croatian Navy continue the glorious revolution of their predecessors. You have invested for years into your knowledge and skills and successfully adapted to the new tasks and requirements\u201c.<\/p>\n
The Commander of the Croatian Navy, Rear admiral\u00a0 Predrag Stipanovi\u0107 recalled the 25 years of toil, sacrifice, growth, the development of capabilities and the acquisition of new skills and knowledge. \u201cThe appointment of Fleet Admiral Sveto Letica as the Commander of the Croatian Navy on 12 September 1991 marked the integration of the Croatian Navy into the Croatian armed forces. It laid the foundation for a small yet intrepid navy. \u201cWe shall continue to invest into our skills and abilities, serving our nation and the homeland\u201c, said the Commander.\u00a0<\/p>\n
On the occasion of the anniversary the promotions and commendations were assigned to the meriting members of the Croatian Navy. The President of the Republic, Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovi\u0107 toured the \u201cPetar Kre\u0161imir IV\u201c missile boat. Prior to the ceremony the President laid the wreath into the sea from the training ship \u201cU\u010dka\u201c for all fallen defenders of the Homeland War.<\/p>\n
The marking ceremony continued with the opportunity for the citizens of \u0160ibenik (16 and 17 September), Split, Pula, Omi\u0161 and Makarska (18 September) to tour the ships of the Croatian Navy.
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\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The central ceremony of the marking of the Croatian Navy Day and of the 25th Anniversary of the establishment of the Croatian Navy was held in \u0160ibenik on 16 September 2016.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4698,"featured_media":36042,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[117],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11416","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-press-releases"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n