"For centuries the Croatians preserved and defended their language and fought for its public use," the academician said.
The establishment of a free and independent Croatia enabled them to accomplish that goal, he added.
Nowadays, the Croatian language is exposed to globalisation challenges and to futile efforts to deny its existence. Nevertheless, Croatian is the official language in Croatia and one of the official languages in the European Union, Kusic said adding that the Croatians should be proud of that success.