"Intercultural dialogue for a multicultural Europe is, in the broadest sense of the word, a precondition for its peaceful and harmonious development," Mesic told the forum.
Mesic cited as an example the city of Aachen, which he said had experienced several positive transformations in its recent history, including the post-war reconstruction and the transformation from a mining town into a centre of highly specialised industries, thanks to its openness to other cultures and influences.
All that happened "thanks to the multicultural, multiethnic and multiconfessional nature of the city of Aachen," the Croatian president said, stressing that intercultural dialogue was the key to the successful future of Europe.
Mesic also spoke of tragic events that had followed the breakup of the Yugoslav federation.
"In our parts differences were often abused to spread intolerance: hatred was spread instead of dialogue," he said, adding that in recent years cultural exchanges had been going on in parallel with political stabilisation in the countries of the region.
"Progress in networking, the transfer of knowledge, the mobility of artists and the use of new information technologies is becoming more and more visible," the Croatian president said.
The forum was attended by some eighty prominent figures from European political and cultural life, and was addressed, among others, by the former foreign ministers of Germany and Poland, Klaus Kinkel and Borislaw Geremek.