Exercising rights and fulfilling obligations stemming from those rights, our homeland can justify confidence that was placed in us 15 years ago when the Croatian flag was hoisted in front of the headquarters of the World Organisation in New York, Mesic said in his speech.
Recalling that Croatia's entry into the UN was "the crown of effort aimed at the international recognition of our fledgling state, as well as the climax of a political struggle we were fighting in extremely complex circumstances that were not seldom unfavourable for us," Mesic said that with the entry into the UN Croatia irreversibly entered the international scene".
All documents Croatia has signed over the past 15 years impose some obligations and rules of conduct, Mesic said.
To reject those rules would mean to reject participation in the life of the international community, and to deliberately opt for isolation. But we could not live in isolation yesterday, and we either cannot or will not live (in isolation) today, Mesic said.
He recalled that during its struggle for independence, Croatia needed the assistance from the world.
Croatia needs assistance also today when it is making efforts to ensure membership of Euro-Atlantic institutions. We are part of Europe, we are part of the world, we belong to that world and it wants us, too," the Croatian president said.
He, said among other things, that partnership with the world also implies the engagement of Croatian troops in UN-led peace missions.
We do not treat and will not treat with any reserve the deployment of our soldiers under the UN flag, the Croatian president said.