Thanks to the Stability Pact, countries in the region and their leaders have intensified regional cooperation with visible results in the process of integration with European and Euro-Atlantic structures, it was concluded at the meeting which was attended by foreign ministers and deputy foreign ministers from south-east European countries, representatives of the European Union, the United States, Switzerland, Norway, Japan, the OSCE and the civil administration in Kosovo.
Stability Pact coordinator Erhard Busek underlined the fact that Croatia, followed by Macedonia, was drawing closer to EU membership, which he said was encouraging for other countries in the region. He warned that those countries were still facing many problems and one of the most important outstanding issues was the future status of Kosovo.
Croatia's representatives at the meeting were Assistant Foreign Minister Damir Kusen and the national Stability Pact coordinator, Renato Cobal.
In his address to the meeting, Cobal said that the Pact offered a very good framework for regional cooperation which proved to be a very important factor in achieving the top-priority goal of EU membership.
Cobal told Hina that Croatia was mentioned several times as a country which had clear European prospects thanks to internal reform.
Croatia was also commended for the way it treats other countries in the region, as well as for results in the strengthening of democracy, local government and media freedom, Cobal said.