Almost four million Croats live outside the Republic of Croatia. It is a huge and invaluable potential in human and economic terms.
The adoption of the Act which provides the strengthening of mutual economic, cultural, scientific, educational, sporting and other links, and the establishing of the State Office for Croats Abroad sent a clear and definite message to all of you living outside the borders of our beautiful Homeland: We want to strengthen our unity, to build our cooperation on the principles of mutual trust and respect and to create partnerships based on institutional foundations.
This is a tremendous step forward. Twenty years upon the gaining of Croatian independence the basic legal and institutional prerequisites are introduced in order to build the systematic and efficient cooperation where legal care for Croats abroad becomes a necessary part of internal and foreign policy, and the strategic objective is presented through the preservation, strengthening and development of the Croatian unity, as well as the economic and overall progress that includes Croats in the native land and Croats living in other countries. Given the fact that there are various situations of Croatian communities in the world expressing different needs and possibilities, the State Office for Croats Abroad, as the central government body for relations with Croats outside Croatia, will adjust its approach accordingly to each and every Croatian community with respect to their specific conditions. Furthermore, our intention is to strengthen Croatian communities abroad and their position and role in the societies where they live and work, and to provide conditions for their inclusion in the social and political life of the Republic of Croatia.
I honestly believe that your additional support, your sincere engagement, motions and suggestions, even the well-intentioned criticisms will give a crucial contribution in achieving these set goals. Therefore I will use this opportunity to invite you once again for joining in constructive cooperation.The State Office for Croats Abroad will be the first address for all your needs, for all the good quality ideas and initiatives; we will give the strong support to all efforts which contribute to broad connections among Croatian people and will be the solid link and the bridge between the Republic of Croatia and you who live outside its borders.
