Montenegro will once again take part in the commemoration of Croatia’s military and police operation Operation Storm in Knin by sending the chargé d’affaires of its embassy in Zagreb.
Montenegro’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, headed by Ervin Ibrahimović, who is also the leader of the Bosniak Party, confirmed to Vijesti that the chargé d’affaires of the Montenegrin Embassy in Croatia will attend the ceremony marking the 31st anniversary of Operation Storm in Knin.
Vijesti also reported that the Ministry of Defence did not respond to questions about whether it had received an invitation to attend the event and, if so, whether it would send a representative. If not, the ministry did not explain why.
Last year, the Ministry of Defence declined Zagreb’s invitation. Defence Minister Dragan Krapović stated at the time that the decision had been made in consideration of the historical and regional context, as well as the sensitivity surrounding the topic of Operation Storm.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the chargé d’affaires would attend the celebration of Victory and Homeland Thanksgiving Day, Croatian Veterans Day, and the anniversary of the military-police operation Operation Storm, in line with “established diplomatic practice, especially among neighboring countries and NATO allies.”
“The presence of the Embassy’s representative is part of regular diplomatic practice and an expression of respect for the host country and its official state commemorations, while at the same time reaffirming Montenegro’s commitment to fostering good-neighborly relations, dialogue, mutual respect, and regional cooperation,” the ministry said.
The anniversary of Operation Storm is commemorated in Croatia tomorrow in Knin as Victory and Homeland Thanksgiving Day and Croatian Veterans Day.
Serbia and Republika Srpska mark the operation as a Day of Remembrance for all those who were killed or expelled during the August 1995 military action. According to the Veritas Documentation and Information Center, more than 1,904 people, mostly civilians including women and children, were killed, while more than 220,000 Serbs were expelled.
Serbia and Republika Srpska Hold Remembrance Ceremony in Mrkonjić Grad
A central ceremony marking the Day of Remembrance for all Serbs killed and expelled during Croatia’s military-police operation Operation Storm will be held today in Mrkonjić Grad. According to Serbian sources, around 220,000 Serbs were expelled and approximately 2,000 were killed.
Serbia and Republika Srpska are once again jointly honoring the victims of the operation.
Croatia’s military-police operation Operation Storm began on August 4, 1995, with an offensive by the Croatian Army, police forces, and Croatian Defence Council (HVO) units in the regions of Banija, Lika, Kordun, and northern Dalmatia.
The following day, August 5, Croatian forces entered the largely abandoned town of Knin and raised the Croatian flag, while columns of Serbian refugees fled across Serb-held territories in Bosnia and Herzegovina toward Serbia.
According to the Veritas Documentation and Information Center, more than 220,000 Serbs were expelled from the territory of the former Republic of Serbian Krajina during the operation, while more than 1,900 were killed. Numerous crimes were also reported.
The operation has been described by Serbian sources as the largest civilian exodus in Europe since World War II.
Military operations began at 5:00 a.m. on August 4 with intense artillery and rocket attacks along the entire front line. The first defensive line of the Army of Republika Srpska Krajina was breached at several points as Croatian forces advanced deeper into the territory.
By the afternoon and evening, the evacuation of civilians had begun through Srb and Dvor.
On August 5, around noon, Croatian troops announced they had entered Knin.
That day, Croatian forces also captured most of the Dalmatian hinterland that had been part of the Republic of Serbian Krajina, including Drniš and Benkovac, as well as Plaški in Lika and Dubica in Banija.
The defensive lines near Slunj were broken on August 6. Croatian forces then linked up with the Croatian Defence Council (HVO) and the Fifth Corps of the Army of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
This effectively split the territory of the Republic of Serbian Krajina. The same day, Petrinja was captured in Banija, while Glina fell later that evening after stronger resistance.
Vojnić, Topusko, and Lapac were captured on August 7.
At 6:00 p.m. that day, then-Croatian Defence Minister Gojko Šušak declared that Operation Storm had been completed.
Many civilians who remained behind were killed. According to the Croatian Helsinki Committee, 4,051 people remained in the so-called South Sector, of whom around 600 were killed, not including military personnel.
On August 10, 1995, the United Nations Security Council adopted Resolution 1009, calling on Croatia to protect civilians and their property and to prosecute those responsible for crimes committed during the operation.
Among the crimes cited by Serbian sources was the bombing of refugee columns, including the attack on the Petrovačka Road on August 7, when a Croatian Air Force aircraft killed 10 people, including four children, and wounded more than 50 civilians, many of them children.
The residents of Prijedor and Banja Luka played a significant role in receiving the refugees fleeing the operation.
In its February 2015 ruling, the International Court of Justice found that Operation Storm constituted ethnic cleansing, but not genocide, although, according to the article, some experts on the subject believe the operation exhibited all the characteristics of genocide.
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Source: Agencije; Foto: Varazdinski.hr