CEI deputy director Miykola Melenevski said that the issue of ethnic minorities was closely related to respect for human rights and that civilisation was not threatened by global forces but by local conflicts, which was why cooperation with ethnic minorities was important.
The head of the club of deputies representing ethnic minorities in the Croatian parliament, Zdenka Cuhnil, said that there were 22 ethnic minorities in Croatia and that applying relevant legislation was difficult because not all minorities had the same level of organisation.
Participants in the meeting said that the development of democracy was measured by the way ethnic minorities were being cared for.
The Dubrovnik meeting is attended by representatives from 12 Central and East European countries, which signed a CEI document on the protection of ethnic minorities.