Croatian Member of the European Parliament Davor Ivo Stier received an award for his contribution to Croatian-language education, notably for his involvement in the opening of a Croatian kindergarten in the village of Tavankut. Awards were also presented to top-performing students studying in Croatian by Croatia's Foreign Minister Gordan Grlić Radman and for Regional Development and EU Funds Minister Nataša Mikuš Žigman.
"Croatia is a small country, but it has a big heart and is always here for you and with you," Grlić Radman told children, parents, Croatian community activists and guests.
Mikuš Žigman said Croatia had for years provided tangible support to Croats in Serbia and announced the signing of 25 contracts under a Croatia-Serbia cross-border cooperation programme supporting infrastructure projects. "These are cooperation projects involving four Croatian counties and partners living in the Vojvodina region".
Addressing the gathering, Serbian Foreign Minister Marko Đurić expressed a wish to "write somewhat different pages of history" in relations between Croatia and Serbia.
"I assure you that the Serbian government will make additional efforts in the coming period to improve relations with Croatia. We will continue to treat the Croatian community in Serbia with care and respect," Đurić said.
He added that it was important that the Croatian government showed respect towards the Serbian community in Croatia and provided financial support, just as Serbia supports the Croatian community.
Jasna Vojnić, president of the Croatian National Council in Serbia, also commented on Croatian-Serbian relations on the occasion of the foreign ministers' meeting in Subotica, saying that Croats in Serbia encouraged meetings at the highest political level.
"We must acknowledge that relations between Croatia and Serbia are not where they should be. There is still hate speech, and the political inclusion of the Croatian community in Serbia is also not satisfactory. But these are precisely the reasons why meetings should take place, so that progress and agreements can be achieved year by year, to the benefit of Croats in Serbia and Serbs in Croatia," Vojnić said.
At the Croatian Home in Subotica, scholarship contracts were awarded to 157 students of Croatian ethnicity from Vojvodina studying in Serbia or Croatia. The financial support was provided by Croatia's Central State Office for Croats Abroad, and the contracts were presented by State Secretary Zvonko Milas.
As part of the celebration, Grlić Radman also presented Croatian citizenship certificates to new Croatian citizens at the Croatian Home.
The birth anniversary of Bishop Ivan Antunović is one of four national holidays observed annually by the Croatian community in Serbia.