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Электронное приложение к журналу «Международная жизнь»
Author : A. Azintov
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation to the Republic of Croatia
ANALYSIS OF THE HISTORY of the Russian
policy with regard to South Slavic peoples generally
boils down to considering Russian-Serbian relations,
often unjustifiably leaving out the Slovenians, Croats,
Macedonians and others. However, all these peoples
have also strived to establish close relations with us
and use Russian authority and influence in the strug-
gle for the interests of their own, including, admit-
tedly, in conflicts with each other. For many
centuries, Russia has been developing contacts with these peoples, and their cultures kept inter-
twining.
Leaders of the Croatian national movement in the 19th century - Josip Juraj Strossmayer, Franjo
Racki, and Ante starčević - pinned their hopes for becoming independent from the Habsburg
monarchy on Russia and France. In World War I, being among war prisoners of the Austrian-
Hungarian troops, the Croats actively sided with the Russian army and, after the 1917 revolution,
voluntarily joined the White Army. Following the 1917 October Revolution, White émigrés made
an invaluable contribution to the development of science, education and culture in Croatia. The
joint fight against the Nazi in 1941-1945 further cemented the relations between our two peoples.
In the years of the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945, over 6,000 Red Army troops were killed
on Croatian soil. After World War II, Croatia has become Yugoslavia's leading republic in terms
of development of its economic ties with the Russian Federation.
On May 25, 2017, we celebrate the 25th anniversary of establishing diplomatic relations between
our two countries. The twenty-five-yearlong Russian-Croatian interaction has essentially mirrored
all ups and downs in the relations of Russia and the West - with all their Balkan specifics, includ-
ing the friendly attitude of common people toward Russia.
According to memoirs of a Croatian ambassador to Russia Hidajet Biscevic, in the course of
his visit to Moscow in 1998, President Tudjman complained that even not all his aides understood
the importance of developing contacts with Moscow in order to speed up Zagreb's rapproche-
ment with the EU and NATO. The Balkan countries have always held that the West's efforts to
push Russia out of the region should be used for their own purposes.
Russia has always been ready for such a cooperation. In contrast to other countries, we are right-
fully regarded as the great power not because we can control others and impose on them our
norms and approaches but due to our ability to do good for the sake of common security and
economic well-being.
25 Years of Diplomatic Relations Between Russia and Croatia