Former HDZ president, in his congratulatory message for the 31st anniversary of Operation Storm, criticized the activities of Serbian cultural associations in Croatia and ironically commented on his absence from the official protocol in Knin.
Tomislav Karamarko, former president of the HDZ and former Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Croatia, issued a sharp congratulatory message on the occasion of Victory and Homeland Thanksgiving Day, the Day of Croatian Defenders, and the 31st anniversary of the military-police operation Storm. In the message published on August 5, 2026, he reflected on the Greater Serbian aggression, but also on the current activities of Serbian cultural associations in Croatia.
"It is August 5th. Thirty-one years have passed, and Croatia is free. Free from what or whom? From the sick pretension that one-third of our homeland could be some kind of proto-state with primitive ambitions that refuse to disappear, the dream of a Greater Serbia," Karamarko said.
Karamarko particularly emphasized his belief that history is the teacher of life, but noted that some still haven't learned its lessons. "I thought that historia est magistra vitae. But some just can't seem to learn. Aren't human lives the most important thing? That's why we must learn from history," he wrote.
He also commented on what he describes as increased activity by Serbian cultural associations in Croatian regions, especially in Lika and Dalmatia. "These days, I see increased activity by various Serbian cultural associations in our Croatian regions. Lika, Dalmatia... I hear some 'delije' playing at being in the middle of Serbia... In my Dalmatia?! Well, dear 'delije,' you are always welcome in the homeland of your fathers and grandfathers, in our shared homeland, Croatia. But if you don't know what happened in 1991, then don't mention 1995," he said.
The former HDZ leader also stressed his personal pride in having participated in the creation of the modern Croatian state. "I am proud to have been a contemporary of Croatia's independence. My father taught me to love my homeland and not to hate anyone," he wrote, congratulating Croatian defenders, members of the Croatian Army, and the police.
In his closing remarks, Karamarko did not miss the opportunity to make an ironic comment about his own absence from the official protocol of the anniversary commemoration in Knin. "Allow me to be a 'grumbler' and thank all participants of Operation Storm, west of the Sutla River, for including me in the protocol of today's anniversary in Croatia's royal city of Knin," he concluded.
