Addressing the gathered in the square, President Mesic said that the opening of the Zagreb-Split highway to traffic was the best possible gift for citizens this weekend when Croatia celebrated Statehood Day.
He expressed gratitude to leading Croatian politicians in early 1970s who he said identified Croatian priorities, and in this context he mentioned Savka Dabcevic-Kucar, Miko Tripalo, Dragutin Haramija and Pero Pirker.
He also thanked those who adopted this model of the construction of the highway, including the former coalition government led by Ivica Racan and Construction Minister in his cabinet, Radimir Cacic, in early 2000s, as well as the current Prime Minister Ivo Sanader.
The Croatian president said that "this road does not connect only Croatia but also a great part of Europe with the Mediterranean".
He added that "in Croatia it is possible to carry out every project when those who have know-how and ability join together in such efforts".
Sabor Speaker Seks spoke about the times when the dream about connecting the continental and Mediterranean Croatia, which Croatians tried to realise during the Spring movement in early 1970s, was "harshly thwarted by repression".
"The day has come for accepting and realising this Croatian project," Seks said adding that now it remained to connect eastern Croatia, namely Osijek and Vukovar, with the rest of Croatia.
Split Mayor Zvonimir Puljic said that the Croatian south and north was now integrated "both in a political and physical sense".
Speaking figuratively, Zagreb Mayor Milan Bandic said that this was the highway long 30 years, featured by the national unity.
After folklore groups performed their programmes, Prime Minister Sanader and other senior officials departed on bus which will drive along the highway towards the south.
Other events will be held in Skradin, the hinterland of Sibenik, and in Split on Sunday evening.