Croatia honors fallen peacekeepers on 33rd anniversary of Podrute tragedy
The Italian Ambassador to Croatia, Paolo Trichilo, took part in a ceremony in Podrute (northern Croatia) to commemorate the 33rd anniversary of the deaths of four Italian and one French military personnel, members of the European Monitoring Mission envisaged by the 1991 Brijuni Agreements to put an end to the so-called 'Ten Days War' between Yugoslavia and Slovenia, which, like Croatia, was fighting for independence, CE Report quotes ANSA.
On 7 January 1992, the five soldiers were on board an Italian military helicopter monitoring compliance with the ceasefire, when the aircraft was shot down by the Yugoslav Air Force near Podrute.
In addition to the Italian Ambassador and Military Attaché, the ceremony was attended by the Secretary of State at the Croatian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, representatives of the Croatian Presidency and Parliament, the President of the Varaždin Region, the Mayor of Novi Marof, and the French Chargé d'Affaires.
Some relatives of one of the fallen (Lt.Col. Venturini) also attended, representing the families of the victims.
In his speech, Ambassador Trichilo paid tribute to the victims of the tragic episode, emphasising how this sacrifice paved the way for the peaceful integration of Croatia into the international community. He also emphasised the valuable contribution of our Armed Forces to peacekeeping missions around the world, which constitute a framework within which Italy and Croatia cooperate fruitfully in favour of security and to protect the founding values of the European Union.
