"The governments of our three countries are committed to continuing to promote good neighbourly relations, building a prosperous future for our peoples and citizens based on the highest European standards, and to the full rule of law, and we are confident that towns in the border area between Bosnia-Herzegovina, Montenegro and Croatia, governed by the same principles, will establish full cooperation in matters that will improve the quality of life of their citizens, and together deal with issues that are important for full and normal communication between the region and its towns," reads the declaration adopted at a regional conference on the prospect of cooperation of municipalities situated in the border area between Bosnia-Herzegovina, Montenegro and Croatia.
Minister Kolinda Grabar Kitarovic of Croatia, Sven Alkalaj of Bosnia-Herzegovina and Milan Rocen of Montenegro said the declaration was a very important step towards improving relations between the three countries and contributing to stability in Southeast Europe.
Grabar Kitarovic said that "trans-border threats and natural disasters know no borders and have to be dealt with through cooperation".
She added that Croatia had been granted EUR 40.3 million from EU pre-accession funds for the 2007-2009 period.
Bilateral projects with Bosnia-Herzegovina and Montenegro must be drafted by May 31 this year so that money from the EU funds could be used, she said.
The conference in Neum focused on the management of natural resources, environmental protection, cooperation in the event of natural disasters, transport, border crossings and water supply.
Bosnian Foreign Minister Alkalaj told the meeting that the conference aimed to contribute to the prevention of all forms of conflict between the three neighbouring countries.
Grabar Kitarovic said that of the 21 counties in Croatia, as many as 18 bordered with neighboring countries and that Croatia would secure additional funds for trans-border cooperation.
Montenegrin Foreign Minister Milan Rocen supported the countries' orientation to European associations to overcome the consequences of the 1990s war conflicts.
The head of the OSCE Mission to Croatia, Jorge Fuentes, who also attended the meeting, called for intensifying reconciliation efforts, which he said was what the prosperity of this part of Europe depended on.
Fuentes said that the fact that Croatia would be invited in 2008 to join NATO, and soon afterwards the European Union, was very important for Southeast Europe.
Speakers at the conference, mayors and prefects from the border area between the three countries, supported the establishment of a joint commission to manage natural resources and cooperation in the event of natural disasters, which they said was very important for tourism.