Prime Minister Andrej Plenković and members of the Croatian government participated today in Knin in the celebration of the Victory and Homeland Gratitude Day, the Day of Croatian Defenders and the 30th anniversary of the Military-Police Operation Storm.

After laying wreaths and candles in front of the Monument of Croatian Victory "Storm 95", the main ceremony was held at the NK Dinara stadium and at the Knin Fortress, where the flag of the Republic of Croatia was raised with the intonation of the Croatian anthem and the honorary salute. At 9:43 a.m., the church bells of Knin rang, exactly at the time when Croatian forces entered Knin on August 5,1995, and then the history of Operation Storm was recited, as well as the names of Croatian defenders killed and missing during that operation.

Prime Minister Andrej Plenković's speech at the ceremony is presented in full below. "Dear Croatian Veterans, Croatian Soldiers and Police Officers, Members of the Croatian Defense Council, Dear Families of the Killed, Deceased and Missing Croatian Veterans and Civilian Victims of the Homeland War, Dear Croatian Disabled War Veterans, Dear War Commanders, Dear Speaker of the Croatian Parliament, Dear Deputy Prime Ministers and Ministers of Croatian Veterans, Defense and Internal Affairs, Members of the Government, Dear Envoy of the President of the Republic, Dear Members of the Parliament deputies, prefects, and mayors, your Excellency Father Bishop, dear fellow citizens, dear Croatians, in the homeland and abroad: Thirty years have passed since Operation Storm - and the memories of those days of pride and glory are still alive.

Thirty years since Croatia liberated itself and secured its future. And every year in Knin, under this sky of freedom, we gather with the same feelings: pride in victory, gratitude to the defenders and reverence for the dead. A force that liberates and preserves, but today, on this anniversary of Croatia's greatest victory, we do not come just to remember. We come to confirm what Storm means to us, what it obliges us to do and what they teach us. Three decades ago, the combined force of the Croatian people liberated the occupied towns and villages, defeated the aggressor, and restored life and pride to the displaced persons. Above all, it brought peace in which shelters were no longer refuges, but memories. Today, this Croatian force no longer defends the homeland with weapons - but with responsibility, knowledge and determination, and preserves our fundamental values.

Operation Storm was not just a military feat - it was a historic turning point. It was the largest land battle in Europe since World War II, which crushed the Greater Serbia project and defeated the aggressor who had held more than a quarter of Croatian territory under occupation for years. The storm profoundly changed the military and geopolitical order of Southeast Europe. It determined the fate of Croatia - and made possible the end of the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Croatia established its constitutional and legal order in most of its territory - and Knin, until then a symbol of occupation, then became a symbol of victory.

Operation Storm paved the way for the return of Croatian displaced persons to their homes and the peaceful reintegration of the Croatian Danube region. It also enabled the return of Vukovar and the establishment of full Croatian rule on the entire state territory - completed peacefully in 1998. Storm Prevents New Tragedy in Bosnia and Herzegovina After the war, Croatia also enabled the return of Croatian Serbs who wanted it. Croatia extended her hand to all those who were ready to live in peace and accept the Croatian legal order. In doing so, the Croatian state has shown political maturity, moral responsibility - and human breadth.

This message was most clearly expressed by President Tudjman in Vukovar in 1997: "The victor who does not know how to forgive sows the seeds of new discord and future evils, and the Croatian people do not want that!" Operation Storm did not only liberate Croatia - it also prevented a new tragedy in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Just a few weeks after the Srebrenica genocide, Operation Storm saved the Bihać Pocket - which at the time housed more than 100,000 Bosniaks. It also facilitated coordinated Croat and Bosniak operations in Bosnia and Herzegovina on the basis of the Tuđman-Izetbegović agreement in Split.

It paved the way for Operations Maestral and Southern Move, which liberated large parts of western Bosnia. This change in the balance of power forced Milosevic to negotiate peace talks in Dayton, ending the bloody war in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Strength in the most difficult circumstances, none of this would have been possible without Storm. That is why Operation Storm is not only a Croatian victory. It is a turning point that has brought lasting peace to this region. That was the time when Croatian strength was confirmed. A power that does not enslave, but liberates. A power that does not threaten, but protects. A force that does not destroy, but creates. That power was not extinguished in Operation Storm.

It still lives in every homeland of the faithful Croatian soldier, as well as in every Croatian man, wherever he lives - in Croatia or around the world. It is manifested in every Croatian success, in each of our victories, in every decision, even a difficult one, by which we build a safe, free and dignified state together. We built this strength ourselves, in the middle of the war, under the embargo, but with the faith that we would succeed. While the northern slopes of Velebit were still under occupation, Croatia was breaking through the Sveti Rok tunnel - not only as a construction project, but as a sign of defiance, boldness and faith in its own future. It was a message to the aggressor - and a vow to his own people - that Croatia does not give up even when it is wounded.

Not to stand still and wait, but to build, break through and move forward. Brave. Defiant. Unstoppable. A Croatia that does not ask if it will succeed - but when. Gratitude and responsibility towards Croatian veterans. Today, with deep respect, sadness, but also pride, we remember those who gave their lives for the freedom of Croatia. Thousands of Croatian defenders, soldiers and police officers have woven their lives into the very foundations of our country. Their sacrifice is not a number, but a vow - a vow of gratitude because Croatia, after centuries of subjugation and living without the right to its own destiny, has finally become its own, sovereign and free thanks to them.

That is why we do not forget their names. That is why we do not worship them with words - but with deeds. That is why we are building a Croatia that will be worthy of their sacrifice. Today, as a member of the European Union and NATO, our victory may seem self-evident to some. But peace is not won once - it is preserved from day to day. In a world that is on fire again - from Ukraine to the Middle East - it is becoming clear: security requires vigilance, determination and constant investment. Taught by the experience of the Homeland War, and especially Operation Storm, we know: there is no freedom without strength, and no peace without the ability to defend it.

That is why Croatia is systematically strengthening its defense, modernizing its army and police, raising its readiness, investing in people, knowledge and technology. Last week's military parade in Zagreb, the largest since independence, showed that the Croatian Army is today a powerful, equipped and highly trained regional power. We are also introducing basic military training - not to fight, but to be ready, responsible and confident in ourselves. Today, Knin is a symbol of a steady, indomitable and fearless Croatian force - the one that liberated the homeland yesterday and the one that today preserves everything that was won then.

Freedom must be preserved, the homeland must be served, and eternal gratitude is owed to the victim. Our defenders dreamed of a homeland with a soul, unity and the truth about their own struggle and sacrifice. They dreamed of a Croatia that knows who it is, why it exists and what it is worth. A homeland in which freedom is not taken for granted - but carefully guarded. A homeland worthy of every fight. And we have that homeland today. Free. Yours. Unwavering. A homeland firm in its foundations, upright in its history, dignified in its values. Along with every soldier on the front line was the strength of Croatian women - those who defended the homeland side by side, and those who encouraged sons, husbands, brothers and fathers.

Those who quietly bore the weight of the war and selflessly cared for hundreds of thousands of displaced persons and refugees. There was also the strength of Croatian children - children whose childhood was stolen by the war. Children, fearful under alarms and shells, lived in exile or grew up too early - because their father was on the battlefield, became disabled or never returned home. This freedom that we live today was created together by Croaians, but also by members of other nations who shared the same home and the same struggle for Croatia.

Side by side with them stood Croatian defenders of Serbian nationality - several thousand of them - because they knew that they were defending their home, their homeland, their freedom. That is why today, in addition to pride and gratitude, we must also show maturity. The maturity of a people who know that freedom should be preserved, that the homeland should be served and that eternal gratitude is owed to the victim. And as we celebrate freedom, we do not forget those we are still looking for - the 1,744 missing persons whose fates are still unknown. Croatia remains permanently committed to the search for each of them - until the last one is found.

This is not just a duty to their families - it is a civilizational obligation, a measure of respect for sacrifice and the foundation of any true reconciliation. We expect Belgrade to finally show a real readiness for cooperation - because without the full truth about the missing, there are no sincere relations, no European future. That is why August 5 is not just an anniversary - it is the day of Croatian conscience. A vow to the homeland that we will always protect it. A vow to the veterans that we will never forget them. A vow to children that we leave them a homeland that knows its value - and the price with which it was acquired. It is a day of our pride, togetherness and strength. From the unforgettable moment when the Croatian flag flew over Zvonimir's fortress, to the Croatian Rafale that today watches over a free Knin.

This year, when we mark the 1100th anniversary of the Croatian kingdom, we look at our history with even greater respect - and with even greater determination we preserve what generations before us dreamed, created and defended. Forever proud. Forever responsible. Forever free! May the memory of all Croatian defenders and the Homeland War as the foundation of the modern Croatian state live forever in our hearts. Together we are building a homeland strong in peace, united in dignity and democracy – grateful to all those who gave everything for it.

I congratulate you on Victory and Homeland Gratitude Day and Croatian Defenders' Day. Long live our sovereign, free and proud Croatia!