Fifteen years ago, when he was establishing the HDZ, President Tudjman called for a project of Croatia's independence and he undoubtedly deserves great credit for Croatia's independence, Sanader said.
Tudjman was the key figure, as head of state, in the realisation of the most important political goals - Croatia's independence, defence of the country from the Serbian aggression, and the establishment of strong defence forces which in 1995 liberated Croatia in the magnificent "Flash" and "Storm" operations, Sanader said.
Tudjman also played a very important role in the promotion of Croatia on the international political scene and it was under his leadership that Croatia was admitted to the United Nations, the Council of Europe, the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and the Central European Initiative (CEI), Sanader said.