Speeches, Remarks, & Interviews
I know That Croatians Will Welcome Bush As a Friend
"Globus" - April 2, 2008
When President Bush arrives at Pleso airport on Friday, he will be the third American president to set foot on Croatian soil. The circumstances surrounding his visit are far different from those of the past. President Nixon arrived at a time when Croatia was part of Communist Yugoslavia, and Europe was divided. When President Clinton had his airport meeting with President Tudman, it was at the end of a terrible war and a time of great uncertainty for the entire region. Today President Bush arrives in a free, democratic, and increasingly influential Croatia, a country looking toward the future and taking its place in a unified Europe at peace.
Understandably, the visit of an American President to any country creates a certain curiosity and speculation. Because of security, communications, and press requirements, visits abroad by American Presidents are major logistical undertakings, and Presidential travel has been fictionalized and romanticized by novelists and film producers. However, before we get caught up in the details of what the President will eat or how many people will protect him, we should consider the important question: Why has President Bush accepted the invitations of President Mesic and Prime Minister Sanader to come to Croatia?
First of all, President Bush is coming to congratulate Croatia on receiving an invitation to join the NATO alliance. This is no small achievement: it is the result of hard work by the people and leadership of this country that started in the first years after independence. Membership in NATO will provide a guarantee for Croatia's security and sovereignty. It will ensure that if Croatia is ever again threatened, it will never have to stand alone. The invitation shows that all twenty-six member countries agree that Croatia is prepared for membership, and can contribute to our collective security. As the strongest supporter of Croatia's membership in NATO, President Bush would like to come to join in celebrating this historic achievement.
This visit also says something important about the ties between our two countries, relations that have grown strong over the years to become a deeper partnership. But there is a human aspect to this as well. I was impressed during the President's meeting with Prime Minister Sanader in the Oval Office in October 2006 by how many questions the President had about Croatia, not just about the beauty of its coast, but about its people, its history, and its economy. I hope that the President's visit will provide the opportunity to talk not only with President Mesic and Prime Minister Sanader but also to spend a few moments with Croatians outside the government to hear first-hand about what Croatia is achieving today in business, the arts, and sports.
Finally, by visiting Croatia, President Bush is sending a strong signal of continuing American engagement in Southeastern Europe. While there has been a great deal of progress in this region over the last decade, there is still much unfinished business in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Kosovo, and elsewhere. Croatia has shown that if a country implements difficult reforms, the door is truly open to enjoy the benefits of membership in Euro-Atlantic institutions. The President will not only cite Croatia's role as a hopeful example to others, but he will also urge its continued engagement with its neighbors. By sharing its experiences, as it continues to carry out political and economic reforms on the path to membership in the European Union, Croatia can play an important role in helping its neighbors to achieve greater progress. One day, we hope, they too will join the Euro-Atlantic institutions that are already ensuring peace and prosperity throughout Europe.
President Bush comes to Croatia as a friend, as someone who admires what Croatia has achieved in the past, and as someone who believes in its future and in the future of this region. I hope all Croatians will welcome him in that spirit.
Robert A. Bradtke
U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Croatia
