The conference will "draw the attention of the world to Croatia and make it possible for Croatian business enterprises to promote their operations through direct contacts," State Secretary Gordan Bakota said.
Croatia has so far lagged behind other EU membership candidates, such as Romania and Bulgaria, in organising major international conferences and the forthcoming event is expected to mark the beginning of change.
The Crans Montana Forum is held ever year, mainly in Switzerland or Monaco, and the Zagreb conference, entitled "European Prospects and Regional Cooperation", will be the first to take place in this region.
"In addition to its economic aspect, the conference will also have great foreign policy importance, because Croatia will be presented as a candidate country for EU membership," Bakota said.
The chairman of the forum's organising committee and Assistant Foreign Minister, David Sopta, said that the event was expected to draw between 400 and 500 participants from some 20 countries, including EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn.
Croatian Prime Minister Ivo Sanader has sent letters to the prime ministers of Southeast European countries inviting them for an informal meeting as part of the forum on April 14. Sopta highlighted the importance of informal meetings at such conferences, saying that problems were often resolved more easily than at official meetings.
The conference will be formally opened by Sanader and will focus on a series of topics, including global and regional cooperation, European Union enlargement, the situation in Southeast Europe and the development of democracy, Sopta said.
Panel discussions will address such issues as financial matters, tourism, minority protection, the rule of law, transatlantic relations, traffic relations, energy, and tourism investment.
Sopta said that the Croatian government would highlight topics of interest to Croatia, such as the EU enlargement process, cooperation in the energy sector and investment in the tourist industry.