Addressing his guests, Mesic said that Croatia had good relations with all nations - small and big and weak and strong ones, with those who shared Croatia's positions and those who did not.
"We aspire to build a world of equality, a world in which principles and differences will be respected and solutions won't be imposed but arrived at through negotiation and compromise. We want that kind of world and we want the region we live in to be like that," Mesic said.
Croatia is continuing on the path of normalising the situation in Southeast Europe, wishing to pave the way to the European Union for the entire region.
"We have no ambitions to be the leader, but we know we can be and we will be the driving force," Mesic said, adding that Croatia had chosen the path of democracy and European unity.
Croatia has achieved a lot on that road, but a lot still needs to be done, he added.
"In that regard, Croatia still needs the help of the international community, including supervision. I definitely prefer supervision before admission to the EU to conditional admission with continued supervision. Maybe some in Croatia still don't understand this, but I believe that eventually they too will understand what is really in our interest," Mesic said.
The head of the diplomatic corps, Papal Nuncio Francisco Javier Lozano, thanked Mesic for the reception, wishing that Croatia may enjoy peace, progress, and economic development and join the EU soon.
The diplomatic weekend ends on Sunday.