Croatia's Minister of Foreign and European Affairs, Gordan Grlic-Radman, met with members of the Croatian community in Canada in the Croatian Martyrs Parish in Mississauga on Sunday, the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs said in a press release.

In his speech, Grlic-Radman highlighted the role of Croatian parishes in fostering Croatian national identity, notably language, culture and tradition. He described the parish in Mississauga as one of the best examples of dedication to promoting national consciousnesses and connections with Croatia.

The minister said that the Croatian government would continue to support the Croatian community in Canada by financing projects, Croatian language learning and scholarship programmes, and supporting publishing activities.

“We will continue to support projects to preserve and promote cultural, scientific, economic, sports and other cooperation between Croatia and Canada,” Grlic-Radman said.

Grlic-Radman thanked the Croatian community in Canada for their continued support to Croatia, including at the time of the 1991-95 war and last year’s earthquake in the central Croatian town of Petrinja. He also emphasised their important role in strengthening the very good relationship between Croatia and Canada, the press release said.