A discussion on political communication is very topical for Croatia since now it is in the midst of accession talks with the European Union, Croatian President Stjepan Mesic said in his opening remarks.
Mesic said that the Yugoslav crisis had broken out mainly because of a crisis of political communication among the political elites at the time.
"With the restoration of peace, Croatia managed to re-establish dialogue with all countries in the region with a view to resolving political problems," the President said.
"We can be pleased that political openness and communicativeness have helped Croatia become a co-architect of the new house of peace and freedom in this part of Europe," he added.
The conference was being attended by speakers from Germany and Southeast European countries.
The purpose of the conference is to provide insight into the subject matter of political communication and encourage future discussions, said Christian Schmitz, director of the Foundation's office for Croatia and Slovenia.
The German Ambassador to Croatia, Juergen Staks, said that political communication between Croatia and Germany was at a very respectable level and that the medium of political communication should be used to help Croatia in a convincing manner to enter the European Union and NATO as soon as possible.