With an aim to promote reconciliation and cooperation in Southeast Europe, the participants in the Thessaloniki meeting express strong support to the EU engagement in the region, hailing Croatia's progress in the process of association, and call on the neighbouring countries to intensify efforts so as to meet the Copenhagen criteria, the declaration said.
The conclusions and recommendations from the declaration particularly hail recent progress in relations between Croatia and Serbia and Montenegro.
Participants in the eighth dialogue hail the determination of political leaders from Croatia and Serbia and Montenegro to fully normalise the two countries' relations in the European spirit, the final document of the Thessaloniki conference said.
The declaration calls on the churches, religious communities and political parties to express support, including financial assistance, to the activities and initiatives of the Stability Pact of Southeast Europe. The document also calls on political and religious leaders from the countries of the region to continue to promote dialogue, reconciliation and cooperation.
The meeting is Thessaloniki was also attended by Croatian Prime Minister Ivo Sanader who on this occasion held talks with his Serbian and Greek counterparts Vojislav Kostunica and Konstantinos Karamanlis.
Sanader is scheduled to visit Belgrade in November. The Croatian and Serbian prime ministers also talked about Kostunica's return visit to Zagreb.
Sanader and Karamanlis met three times. According to diplomatic sources the Greek PM could visit Zagreb in spring 2005.