The ceremony at the "Croatian Army's 204th Brigade" barracks was attended by the President of Republic and Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces Stjepan Mesic, Parliament Speaker Vladimir Seks, Defence Minister Berislav Roncevic, military Chief of Staff General Josip Lucic, and other senior state and military officials.
"From Vukovar we can say we have an army that is a firm guarantee of Croatia's sovereignty and independence. Vukovar is a town which reflects all the suffering of Croatia in the Homeland War," said President Mesic, adding that he was proud of all the war- and peace-time achievements of the Croatian Armed Forces.
He pointed to the need of cooperation among the states in Croatia's neighbourhood.
The international community has done so much in the normalisation of relations in the region so far, but that will not suffice unless the states in the region join in the international community's efforts, said Mesic.
"There still exist blockades which prevent that. The European model, however, is the only way for the region," he said, adding that "European integration today represents a European peace project in whose implementation Croatia wants to actively participate".
In his address, Sabor Speaker Seks recalled that 15 years ago the Croatian parliament passed far-reaching historic decisions on the establishment of sovereign and independent Croatia.
"All the political decisions that the Sabor and the government adopted then, and which Croatia's citizens accepted at a referendum, could not have been realised without the victorious Croatian army," he said.
"The adoption of new military doctrines and a strategy which will be in line with them imposes itself today as the priority task of Croatia's Armed Forces," said Seks.
Defence Minister Roncevic said it was necessary to invest considerable budgetary funds in Croatia's military schools, but added that those were investments which paid off the most because they were investments in people. He added his ministry considered education a long term investment.
Prior to arriving in Vukovar, Mesic laid wreaths and lit candles at the monument by the mass grave at Ovcara, outside Vukovar, and at the Homeland War Victims Memorial Cemetery, in memory of soldiers and civilians killed in the defence of Vukovar in 1991.
In the morning, the promoted officers attended mass said by military ordinary Josip Jezerinac at St. Philip and Jacob's Church. Afterwards, they marched to the Stone Cross for Free Croatia where the Vuka enters the Danube and laid a wreath and lit candles at the monument to those killed defending Vukovar in 1991.
The promotion ended with a flying programme performed by the Croatian Air Force.