Croatia has earmarked HRK 24 million (over EUR 3.2 mn) in this year’s budget for projects of Bosnia’s ethnic Croats. A senior official of the Central State Office for Croats Abroad, Zvonko Milas, signed contracts on Friday with 105 beneficiaries of these funds.

“We must tie even stronger and there is no border that could separate us. The projects funded by the Government of Croatia are only some of the models to be devoted one to another, to get better connected to ensure a more dignified life to the future generations,” said Milas at the contract signing ceremony in the central Bosnian town of Vitez.

Bosnia Archbishop, Cardinal Vinko Puljic, assessed that Croat and Catholic identities in Bosnia and Herzegovina are interrelated and that it was important to keep the unity of Croats in the two countries alive.

“Wherever the Catholic church survives the identity of Croat people will survive too,” Puljic said pointing out that the Croats are one people regardless of where they live.

The unity among Croats matters, emphasized Croat member of Bosnia’s tripartite Presidency, Dragan Covic.

“We will continue building and creating the future together but I also hope we will recognize legitimate representatives of Croat people in Bosnia, who will know to protect our interests in the long run. Because this is our people and our homeland, and we must know how to preserve it,” Covic said.

Ethnic Croats of Bosnia and Herzegovina are the third most populous ethnic group in that country and are recognized by the Constitution as a constituent people, entitled to equal rights and representation in authority as other two constituent peoples – Bosniaks and Serbs.