President Zoran Milanovic said in Usora, a townlet in the north of Bosnia and Herzegovina, on Monday that Croatia would continue helping Croats in Bosnia and Herzegovina, adding that he expected the Croat people to become equal to the country's other two constituent peoples and BiH to join the EU.

“We will do our best to protect your interests and dignity, respecting the country that is our neighbour and where you live. I call on others who are more numerous than you to understand that without Croats there is no Bosnia and Herzegovina,” Milanovic said at a ceremony marking the anniversary of the establishment of the Croatian Defence Council (HVO) 110th Brigade.

Milanovic laid a wreath and lit a candle at a memorial for the fallen Usora defenders, and before making his address he talked to representatives of local Homeland War associations.

Milanovic said that it was owing to the Croatian Army and the HVO that the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina had ended and that fortunately, there had been no war between Croats and Bosniaks in Usora.

In the war against the Bosnian Serb army at Usora, 110 Croats were killed and members of the HVO 110th Brigade carried out several significant liberation operations, including one to seize the Putnikovo Brdo barracks, thus stopping the advancing Serb forces in the summer of 1992.

“The end of the war was made possible by the Croatian Army, Croatian Guards and Homeland Guards brigades, as well as HVO brigades, in line with an agreement between (then Croatian) President (Franjo) Tudjman and (then) Bosniak leader (Alija) Izetbegovic enabling the Croatian Army to take part in operations in BiH territory entirely legally and in line with the laws of war,” said Milanovic.

He expressed an expectation that BiH would have a strong advocate in Zagreb with regard to its EU membership bid.

“It is my wish for neighbouring Bosnia and Herzegovina to join the EU as soon as possible with all of its peoples – Croats, Serbs and Bosniaks,” he said, noting that BiH had been waiting for it for too long.

He also expressed an expectation for BiH Croats to start exercising full equality by being able to elect their member of the BiH Presidency.

“The issue of representation of Croats in the BiH Presidency is the best proof that Croats care about BiH, and sometimes they are impertinently denied that right. Croats care about this country and they want to be represented (in the BiH Presidency) in a dignified way,” he said.