To make life better, it is necessary to look for new rational solutions and protect the equality of the Croat people in relation to the other two constituent peoples in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bosnian Croat leader Dragan Covic said addressing the delegations of the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) and its Bosnian sister party HDZ BiH on Monday, as they laid wreaths and lit candles at Zagreb's central Mirogoj cemetery on the occasion of the HDZ's 30th anniversary.

Wreaths were laid and candles lit on the graves of Croatia's first president and HDZ founder Franjo Tudjman and wartime defence minister Gojko Susak.

“Today we want to express our gratitude to HDZ founder and Croatia's first president Franjo Tudjman and the wartime defence minister for what they did so that we, as a people, could seek equality in Bosnia and Herzegovina and feel like a constituent nation,” HDZ BiH leader Dragan Covic said.

Without that, the HDZ, as the central party of the Croat people in Bosnia and Herzegovina, without which political life cannot be imagined, would not be able to mark its 30th anniversary, Covic said, adding that the HDZ BiH would also mark its anniversary in Mostar on Tuesday.

Covic went on to say that a lot of work remained to be done regarding events marking the establishment of Bosnia and Herzegovina's statehood under the Dayton and Paris agreements as “many elements of that agreement stopped the war but they did not manage to organise Bosnia and Herzegovina in the most rational and adequate way.”

“Because of the need to join the EU and NATO and the need to make life better in Bosnia and Herzegovina, we need to look for new rational solutions and protect the equality of the Croat people in relation to the other two constituent peoples as well as ensure their legitimate representation,” said Covic.

He added that the Croat people was well-organised and that it had been creating conditions “to possibly resolve the issue of electoral legislation by the end of this year.”

HDZ vice-president Tomo Medved offered his best wishes to the HDZ BiH for its 30th anniversary, expressing support for its aspirations and goals.