Page 102 - Dark Shades of Istria
P. 102
Trans-Border Region of Istria
in cooperation with humanitarian organisations and the accommodation
sector (Grad Pula, 2016), which would cause a humanitarian crisis in the
case of military operations. Humanitarian work, together with the 96
response to the general mobilisation (the highest in Croatia) (Grad Pula,
2016) and the participation in military activities/operations within and
outside Istria, presents the main contributions of the Istrian people to
the success of the Homeland war. Members of the Italian minority also
played an important role in the conflict (this time with the y pa) in Is-
tria, e.g. the President of the Municipal Assembly of Pula, Luciano Del-
bianco, was one of the main regional political organisers of resistance and
therefore in constant contact with the Croatian president and ministers.⁸⁹
Interestingly, in addition to the failed assassination attempt against Del-
bianco, 1991 was also marked by the cancellation of the 38th Pula Film
Festival (Orlić, 2019).
Although to a lesser extent, the arrival and accommodation of refugees
from conflict areas was also characteristic for the Slovenian Istria. Con-
sequently, elementary schools for a few hundred refugee children from
Bosnia and Herzegovina who came slightly after the ones from Croatia,
were founded. Governments agreed on the education of children, and
thus two elementary schools with the teaching language of the children’s
state of origin operated, one in Koper and one in Piran; the school in Pi-
ran was among the most propulsive in Slovenia (Šmid & Štrumbl, 2004).
The last y pa soldier officially left Koper on 25 October 1991 (Min-
istrstvo za notranje zadeve, Policija, n.d.), ⁹⁰ while they remained present
in Pula until 16 December 1991 (Grad Pula, 2016). Since then, Istria has
been a cross-border region without a hostile army, although not a com-
pletely demilitarised area. Thus, Slovenia, which did not experience a sig-
nificant action of the Independence war at sea, formed a Costal Guard in
Ankaran in the 1990s, later transformed to the 430th Naval Division (430.
mornariški divizion), the only permanent military unit in the Slovenian
part of Istria.⁹¹ Due to the longer coastline, the Croatian Navy had and
still has a greater significance, role and scope for the state. The 2nd Di-
vision of the Croatian Coast Guard is located in the port of Vargarola
⁸⁹ Delbianco was one of the main political figures of Istria in the 1990s, while in the first
decade of the 2000s he was more engaged in the academic field.
⁹⁰ In the Slovenian case, the departure of ypa troops from Koper also meant the definitive
end of military ties with the Second Yugoslavia.
⁹¹ See also the 430th Naval Division (Ministry of Defence, n.d.).
102
in cooperation with humanitarian organisations and the accommodation
sector (Grad Pula, 2016), which would cause a humanitarian crisis in the
case of military operations. Humanitarian work, together with the 96
response to the general mobilisation (the highest in Croatia) (Grad Pula,
2016) and the participation in military activities/operations within and
outside Istria, presents the main contributions of the Istrian people to
the success of the Homeland war. Members of the Italian minority also
played an important role in the conflict (this time with the y pa) in Is-
tria, e.g. the President of the Municipal Assembly of Pula, Luciano Del-
bianco, was one of the main regional political organisers of resistance and
therefore in constant contact with the Croatian president and ministers.⁸⁹
Interestingly, in addition to the failed assassination attempt against Del-
bianco, 1991 was also marked by the cancellation of the 38th Pula Film
Festival (Orlić, 2019).
Although to a lesser extent, the arrival and accommodation of refugees
from conflict areas was also characteristic for the Slovenian Istria. Con-
sequently, elementary schools for a few hundred refugee children from
Bosnia and Herzegovina who came slightly after the ones from Croatia,
were founded. Governments agreed on the education of children, and
thus two elementary schools with the teaching language of the children’s
state of origin operated, one in Koper and one in Piran; the school in Pi-
ran was among the most propulsive in Slovenia (Šmid & Štrumbl, 2004).
The last y pa soldier officially left Koper on 25 October 1991 (Min-
istrstvo za notranje zadeve, Policija, n.d.), ⁹⁰ while they remained present
in Pula until 16 December 1991 (Grad Pula, 2016). Since then, Istria has
been a cross-border region without a hostile army, although not a com-
pletely demilitarised area. Thus, Slovenia, which did not experience a sig-
nificant action of the Independence war at sea, formed a Costal Guard in
Ankaran in the 1990s, later transformed to the 430th Naval Division (430.
mornariški divizion), the only permanent military unit in the Slovenian
part of Istria.⁹¹ Due to the longer coastline, the Croatian Navy had and
still has a greater significance, role and scope for the state. The 2nd Di-
vision of the Croatian Coast Guard is located in the port of Vargarola
⁸⁹ Delbianco was one of the main political figures of Istria in the 1990s, while in the first
decade of the 2000s he was more engaged in the academic field.
⁹⁰ In the Slovenian case, the departure of ypa troops from Koper also meant the definitive
end of military ties with the Second Yugoslavia.
⁹¹ See also the 430th Naval Division (Ministry of Defence, n.d.).
102
