"We supported the start of the European process with Croatia from the start and this proved to be a good assessment because Croatia has successfully responded to our requests," Gyurcsany said opening a ministerial meeting of the Regional Partnership.
Apart from the foreign ministers of the Regional Partnership's member states - Austria, Slovenia, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Poland - the meeting is also attended by the foreign ministers of Croatia, Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Serbia and Montenegro and Macedonia.
The participants are discussing the situation in the region and the support which the Regional Partnership member states could give to the countries of Southeast Europe on their path to Euro-Atlantic associations.
The Hungarian PM said the western Balkan countries could contribute to the stabilisation of entire Europe and that the Budapest forum would help their drawing closer to the EU.
The ministers are expected to end the meeting with the adoption of a final declaration and hail the decision of the the Council of the European Union to open Croatia's entry talks and reiterate full orientation of countries in the region towards joining Euro-Atlantic associations.