Slovenian Croats visit Montenegro and North Macedonia

The Croatian Cultural Society Pomurje, which brings together ethnic Croats in Slovenia and their friends, visited Montenegro and North Macedonia a week ago to strengthen ties with the local Croatian minorities, CE Report quotes HINA.

"In four days we travelled more than 2,500 kilometres, but what we bring home is worth far more: unity, culture and pride in a borderless Croatian identity," Pomurje said on its website.

The group travelled by bus from Lendava, a town in northern Slovenia, to the Bay of Kotor, where they met representatives of Croats in Tivat and Donja Lastva, including Zvonimir Deković, head of the Croatian National Council of Montenegro.

In Skopje, they took part in a cultural event and met the local Croatian community led by Josip Tunić, the representative of Macedonian Croats on Croatia's government council.

According to the Central State Office for Croats Abroad, there are about 55,000 ethnic Croats in Slovenia, 10,000 in Montenegro and 4,000 in North Macedonia.

Pomurje brings together Croats and friends of Croatia living in Slovenia's Pomurje region, along the River Mura. Based at the Croatian Cultural Centre Zrinski in Lendava, it promotes Croatian tradition, culture and language through lectures, exhibitions, literary and music evenings, celebrations and social gatherings, and runs folklore, tamburitza, journalism and gastronomy sections.