Addressing a ceremony in the German town of Bad Homburg where the Zagreb-based Vecernji List daily presented its annual awards to distinguished members of Croatian expat communities in the world, Minister Stier recalled his childhood in Buenos Aires where he had been dressed in Croatian folk costumes and used to play Croatian instruments during gatherings of Croatian emigres in that Latin American country.
"I would dream of an independent, free and democratic Croatia where unity reigns on those occasions," Stier said in his address at the ceremony.
Deputy Parliament Speaker Milijan Brkic also praised the Diaspora for great help it had offered to Croatia in the 1990s.
"It is now time for Croatia to open its doors to all expatriates and to create conditions for investments and for the return of the second and third generations of those expatriates," Brkic said.
In attendance at the award-giving ceremony was Croatia's Opposition leader, Davor Bernardic of the Social Democratic Party (SDP).
This year, Niko Kovac, a former Croatian footballer and the current coach of Eintracht soccer club, was declared the Person of the Year in the Croatian Diaspora. Last year, this title was given to scientist and researcher Ivan Djikic.