This cooperation is not only a verified prerequisite for Croatia's Euro-Atlantic road but it is also an imperative of the modern political time, marked by the need for intensified inter-state communication, good-neighbourly connections and creation of regional mechanisms for cooperation, Bebic said in his speech at the conference.
Regarding the economic aspect, Bebic called for strengthening capacity to counter recession trends in order to have an economically strong Southeast Europe being competitive on the global market.
Trends of the promotion of regional cooperation in the European Union also give an additional impetus to the intensification of communication among Southeast European countries, helping them to become important subjects of the foreign affairs, the Croatian official said.
He spoke of the two-fold role of national parliaments in the region. They are responsible for adjusting the national legislation to the EU acquis communautaire as well as for strengthening regional stability and the political, economic and security capacity of their respective countries, according to Bebic's speech.
The 8th conference of the SEECP parliament speakers, which is focused on the prospects for setting up a SEECP parliamentary assembly, began on Monday morning with a key-note speech delivered by Turkish Parliament Speaker Mehmet Ali Sahin.
The Turkish one-year chairmanship over this forum for diplomatic and political dialogue among Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Romania, Serbia and Turkey has the slogan " "From Shared History to Common Future".
The basic goals of SEECP which was founded in 1996 at Bulgaria's initiative, are to strengthen stability, security and good-neighbourly relations, promote economic development, tackle humanitarian, social and cultural issues and to combat organized crime, illicit drug and arms trafficking and terrorism.
Montenegro assumes the SEECP chairmanship from Turkey.