He said that whenever Croatians thought that they were faced with difficult political issues concerning the government, parliament, coalitions, they should think back on how difficult it was when Croatia was a victim of aggression, when more than a quarter of its territory was occupied and when they lived in uncertainty.
"The UN helped us become what we are today - a young nation in terms of international law, but also an old and proud nation contributing to international peace, security, cooperation, global and European efforts and our immediate neighbourhood, which we assist with experience and with which we build close and good neighbourly relations, including with countries with which we did not look eye to eye 25 years ago. We have managed to build our institutions and strengthen democracy and are now focused on our economy and economic growth," said Plenkovic.
The reception, organised by the Croatian PM, was attended by many prominent Croatian Americans as well as senior officials such as UN General Assembly President Miroslav Lajcak and European Enlargement Commissioner Johannes Hahn.
Addressing the event, Croatian Foreign and European Affairs Minister Marija Pejcinovic Buric thanked all Croatian members of UN peace missions.
Twenty-five years may not be much, but Croatia's contribution to UN activities is significant. You were a member of the Security Council, chaired the Economic and Social Council, you were on the Peace Building Commission, and today you are a member of the Council for Human Rights, Lajcak said, adding that he was looking forward to continuing cooperation with Croatia in the UN.
European Commissioner Hahn said that Croatia was a recognised and important member of the international community.
We are more than happy that you are in the EU and that you can contribute significantly to the further development of the Western Balkans, we count on that because you are a model that proves what it can be like, Hahn said, expressing confidence that Croatia would do its part.
Previously in the day, PM Plenkovic delivered a lecture at Columbia University where he spoke about Croatia's views of the European Union, saying, among other things, that the country's next goals were accession to the Schengen area of passport-free travel and accession to the euro area. He also spoke about the situation after Brexit, populism, and efforts to make the EU as strong a global power as possible.