Receiving the honorary citizen charter at a ceremony at Buenos Aires City Hall, Grabar-Kitarović said that, after the Second World War, many Croats had found freedom in Argentina where they could demonstrate their patriotism and also demand freedom for the Croatian people and their homeland.
"The Croats in Argentina also shared the fate of their people during the Yugoslav communist regime which disapproved of any use of their national name, their Croatian flag and coat of arms or professing of their faith," the Croatian president said.
Grabar-Kitarović mentioned some of the Croats who had left an indelible mark in Buenos Aires and Argentina, including Croatian Jesuit Nikola Pantić who served as the head of the Colegio Nacional in Buenos Aires in the mid-18th century, and construction entrepreneur Buratović, originally from Hvar island, who built houses, roads and railways across Argentina in the mid-19th century and was the first to establish a telegraph line between Buenos Aires and Rosario.
"Croats, like Argentineans, are a proud nation. We don't forget our faith, anthem, coat of arms, our language, flag, name and our parentage. That's why I thank you on my own behalf and on behalf of all our ancestors who found freedom and friendship in Argentina," the Croatian president said.
