Co-organized by the Croatian Heritage Foundation – Vukovar Branch, the event highlighted the crucial role of Croats abroad in the creation and defense of the Croatian homeland.
On December 17, 2025, the Forum entitled The Role of Croatian Emigrants in the Homeland War was held at the “Dom Hrvatskih branitelja” venue in Vinkovci, dedicated to the immense contribution of Croatian emigrants to the defense and creation of the independent Republic of Croatia. The Forum was co-organized by the Croatian Heritage Foundation – Vukovar Branch, Matrix Croatica – Vinkovci Branch, the “Kune” Vinkovci Veterans’ Association, and the Coordination of Veterans’ and Victims’ Associations of Vukovar-Srijem County.
The program opened with the Croatian anthem and a minute of silence in honor of all fallen and missing Croatian defenders, as a sign of gratitude and lasting remembrance, under the professional moderation of Tatjana Markić.
The Forum was attended by representatives of state, cultural and veterans’ institutions, including State Secretary of the Central State Office for Croats Abroad Zvonko Milas, Deputy Director of the Croatian Heritage Foundation Ivana Rora, Vice President of Matrix Croatica and President of Matrix Croatica – Vinkovci Branch Dr. Dražen Švagelj, Deputy Prefect of Vukovar-Srijem County Darko Dimić, Ph.D., representatives of the City of Vinkovci Davor Mecanović and Slavko Bošnjak, President of the Coordination of Veterans’ and Victims’ Associations of Vukovar-Srijem County and retired Brigadier Damir Dujić, and the wartime commander of the 5th Guards Brigade “Sokolovi”, Major General Ivan Kapular.
At the beginning of the Forum, the attendees were greeted by Ivana Rora, Deputy Director of the Croatian Heritage Foundation, who, in an emotional address, highlighted the deep connection of the Croatian Heritage Foundation with Croatian emigrants and the importance of preserving the memory of their role in the Homeland War. Deputy Prefect Darko Dimić, Ph.D., welcomed the participants on behalf of the Vukovar-Srijem County, emphasizing that the contribution of the Croatian diaspora was of crucial importance, especially for the defense and survival of eastern Croatia, also thanking the organizers for this initiative that contributes to the culture of remembrance and historical truth.
The Forum was supported by State Secretary Zvonko Milas, who underlined the importance of systematically assessing the contributions of Croats outside the Republic of Croatia: “As a veteran and a native of Vukovar, I believe that the importance of not only the diaspora but also of Croats outside the Republic of Croatia is underrepresented in the public and academic community.”
He highlighted that the Forum should become a tradition: “This is not only a story about humanitarian aid, but also about lobbying, about the people who came in 1991, about their contribution to the creation of the state and their aspirations for freedom and independence. It is important to talk about this while there are still authentic witnesses, but also for the sake of future generations.”
“THE EMIGRATION WAS OF KEY SIGNIFICANCE FOR CROATIA”
Silvio Jergović, head of the Vukovar Branch of the Croatian Heritage Foundation, initiator and host of the Forum, spoke about the role of the Croatian emigration in the Homeland War, emphasizing that the Croatian emigration was one of the key pillars of Croatia’s defense and international visibility: “As a Croatian veteran since 1991, I considered it important to launch this Forum, to shed light on the role of the Croatian diaspora in the Homeland War.” Emigrants helped us in various ways: some personally joined military units, others helped with humanitarian aid and donations. The diaspora was certainly of key significance.”
Speaking about the information aspect during the freedom struggle, Jergović particularly highlighted the work of the Croatian Information Center: “The Croatian Information Center (HIC), which began operating in the war year of 1991 as a non-governmental, non-partisan and non-profit organization, had the task of informing the foreign public and the Croatian diaspora about events occurring in Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina. Through its activities, it turned around the views of foreign media in favor of the Homeland War.”
He added that the goal of the organizers is for the Forum to grow into a permanent initiative and to involve younger generations in its activities.
The keynote speaker was Ante Beljo, who spoke about the long-standing role and significant contributions of the Croatian diaspora in the creation of the Croatian state, and about the establishment of the Croatian Information Center, within which the Foreign Press Bureau operated during the Homeland War. “Many things are not mentioned, and they are significant for understanding the history of the creation of the independent Croatian state.” “The only people interested in the formation of the Croatian state were Croats and the Croatian diaspora, who had been preparing for the creation of an independent state for the last hundred years.” He pointed out that, in wartime circumstances, one had to build one’s own logistics and information network: “All efforts were invested in creating a logistics foundation that would contribute to this, because there was really no one we could rely on.”
TESTIMONIALS AND MESSAGES OF UNITY
Also speaking at the Forum were Snježana Radoš, who talked about the methods used and the important role of the Foreign Press Bureau to turn around the international media reporting during the Homeland War; Damir Borovčak, who referred to Croatian emigrants’ reporting on the war of aggression, and Dražen Švagelj, who spoke about assistance to the Vinkovci Medical Center and Hospital during wartime circumstances.
The tamburitza section of the Slavko Mađer Culture and Arts Association from Cerić participated in the musical part of the program.
As a co-organizer of the Forum, the Croatian Heritage Foundation – Vukovar Branch once again confirmed its ongoing mission of connecting Croats in the homeland and abroad, preserving the historical truth, and passing on the memory of the Homeland War to younger generations.
It was concluded that unity between the Homeland and the diaspora was crucial in the most difficult moments of Croatian history and remains the foundation of the freedom and sovereignty of the Republic of Croatia.
Text and photo: CHF
