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T H E I N T E R V I E W
Honorable Consul of Croatia The Honorable PHILIP BERQUIST Beyond the call of duty
Q : Thank you for sitting with us today , Consul Philip Berquist , and for being so active in the Consular Corps of Houston . It seems that we see you at most consular events . As the Republic of Croatia is celebrating 25 years of independence this year we thought it would be a good time to feature you and Croatia in iF Magazine . Could you tell us a bit about Croatia for those who have not yet ventured there ?
34 iF Magazine | July 2017
A : Croatia is an old South and Central European country which , in different forms of statehood , has existed for almost 1,000 years . In more recent history Croatia was a kingdom within the Hapsburg Austro Hungarian Empire . It is equally a Mediterranean and a Central European country , bordering with the Western Balkan Region . After the WWI Croatia became part of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia , and after the WWII , of the communist ruled Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia . In the seccession wars of the first half of the 1990s , Croatia declared and defended its independence against the Greater Serbia belligerent policies of Belgrade ’ s Slobodan Milosevic . Entering the membership to the European Union , many Croatians would describe today as the nation ’ s return to the family from which it was taken against popular will .
The Croatian War of Independence — or the Homeland War , as Croatians call it — was intense , with many , many casualties on both sides . The war was finally settled in the summer of 1995 by a land sweeping Croatian Operation Storm , which established full control of the government over the internationally recognized territory , but which also tipped the balance of military power in Bosnia and Herzegovina which was by then dominated by the Serb forces . This new balance was facilitated by The Dayton Peace Accords led by the United States , and signed by all sides involved in Dayton , Ohio , later in 1995 .
The war damage in Croatia was profound , and it certainly set back the Croatian economy tremendously . In many ways , Croatia is still recovering from the war . However , the country ’ s membership in the EU since July 1 , 2013 , has brought fundamental overhaul of its economy , and , these days , Croatia is thriving within the 500 million people-strong common market . Croatia is also a very successful beneficiary of the EU several billion EURO cohesion funds specifically earmarked for Croatia . Croatia is also member of World Trade Organization from 2000 , NATO from 2009 . Croatia is not yet a member of the Euro Zone , and maintains its own currency , the Croatian Kuna . Also , Croatia is not yet a member of the Schengen Area , meaning that passports are still required at Croatian border crossings with its EU neigh-