Croatia celebrates Statehood Day on Tuesday, the 28th anniversary since declaring independence from Yugoslavia.

On this occasion, President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic will hold a formal reception in her office, and the Archbishop of Zagreb, Cardinal Josip Bozanic, will celebrate the Holy Mass for the Homeland in St Mark’s Church.

Statehood Day commemorates June 25, 1991 when the Croatian Parliament adopted a historic resolution initiating the process of disassociation from the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, based on the results of a referendum held on May 19, 1991.

Until 2001, Statehood Day was observed on May 30, to commemorate the inauguration of the first multi-party Croatian Parliament in 1990. Today May 30 is observed as Croatian Parliament Day.

However, Prime Minster Andrej Plenkovic said recently that the date might be changed yet again, back to May 30, explaining that May 30 was a more popular date among the people in Croatia.

The Declaration of Independence was announced by the first President of Croatia, Franjo Tudjman, in an address broadcast by radio and television on June 25, 1991.

Croatia joined NATO on April 1, 2009 and the European Union on July 1, 2013.