Giovanardi was the first Italian government minister to visit Zadar after the Second World War.
Also present at the opening was a deputy in the Italian parliament, Roberto Menia, numerous cultural officials from Italy, and Italian Ambassador to Croatia Alessandro Grafini.
Minister Giovanardi stressed that the Italian community in Croatia and Croatia's in Italy could enrich the societies they lived in
Answering to reporters' questions after the ceremony, Giovanardi dismissed headlines from the Croatian media which claimed that the Italian minister said Italians would invade Dalmatia. "As Zadar is an Italian city, Rome is also a Croatian city in a cultural sense. The only possible invasion of Italians in Dalmatia is a tourist and economic invasion, "Giovanardi said.
He said one of the main issues was ownership, stressing that Italians should be allowed to buy property in Croatia and Croatians in Italy.
There are some problems in the two country's relations, notably the issue of ownership, the Italian minister said adding that he was referring to the issue of confiscation during Communism. "Croatia and Italy must establish that the problem exists and reach an agreement on that issue," the Italian minister said.
Asked whether he was informed that many Croatians, detained in Italian fascist concentration camps during WWII, also claimed damages, Giovanardi said he met the Croatian Ambassador in Italy on several occasions but that this problem was never brought up.