Andrej Plenković: The government will finance the renovation of the Croatian House of Culture in Donja Lastva

“Thank you for preserving the Croatian identity, culture, tradition and generally such a coherent and strong community”, despite the fact that there are less than six thousand Croats in Montenegro today, said the Prime Minister in Donja Lastva.

Nappiesć arrived in that place a few kilometers away from Tivat before participating in the meeting at the summit of the EU-Western Balkans, which will bring together the highest leaders from the EU and the candidate countries in that city.

He welcomed the fact that the summit, for the first time in Montenegro, is being held in Tivat, which is “good symbolism for Croats in Montenegro”.

In the Croatian House of Culture, the Prime Minister announced that based on the initiative of the Croatian minority and the project for the restoration and reconstruction of that institution, the government would “reserve funds in the state budget” so that it would not only be the seat of the Croatian National Council, but also of other institutions of the Croats in Montenegro, “at an appropriate level befitting the 21st century”.

Adrijan Vuksanovi, representative of the Croats in the Montenegrin Assembly, thanked Plenkovic and the government for helping to maintain the “Josip Markovic” Cultural Center. after the eviction was ordered a few years ago. The governments of Montenegro and Croatia signed a contract in the middle of last year, by which the facility was handed over to Croatia.

“The Croatian state is formally the owner, but in essence all of you are the owners,” said the prime minister on Thursday.

On the occasion of the arrival of the Croatian delegation, which included the Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Gordan Grlić Radman, an agreement was also signed in the House on the continuation of support for the minority Radio Dux, which the government supports with 75 thousand euros in 2026.