Speaking at a news conference in Pula on Thursday about the latest deterioration of Croatian-Italian relations, Prefect Ivan Jakovcic said that his letter urged moral and financial support for the county's initiative to establish a European centre for history in Pula in cooperation with the Italian Union and state and regional officials from the three countries.
The centre would initially study Istria's recent history, and would later become part of the European research network, Jakovcic said.
Crimes committed in Istria in the last century would be investigated in cooperation with state, regional and church authorities, associations of Italian WWII refugees and scientific institutions. The investigation should result in the publishing of a black book with data on persons who were killed, executed, went missing or were displaced.
"Only the truth about the history of Istria is a sensible answer to the politicking we witnessed in the past decades. Attempts to play down the crimes of totalitarian regimes that ruled Istria cannot be accepted, crimes should be investigated and each victim should be paid tribute to," Jakovcic said.
The monument in Pazin would be in tribute to all victims of last century's wars in Istria, while the house of Croatian-Italian friendship in Pula would be a house of all generations of Istrians and a house of friendship among nations, Jakovcic said.
He added that the best way to support the initiative would be a meeting of the three heads of state or government in Istria.
Istria is a multiethnic and multilingual county where inter-ethnic tolerance has prevailed over nationalism and contributed to peace in the region, Jakovcic said.