This is a nongovernmental organisation which will focus on the promotion of local democracy, inter-ethnic relations, the protection of human and minority rights and freedoms and cross-border cooperation of cities from the former Yugoslavia and Southeast Europe.
The setting up of the network was initiated by members of the Igman initiative, the association of 140 nongovernmental organisations working on reconciliation and promotion of cooperation between former Yugoslav republics and countries from the wider region.
The documents regulating the establishment of the network were signed in Zagreb on Wednesday by representatives of local authorities from all former Yugoslav republics, Albania, Bulgaria, Greece, Hungary and Romania.
The network is supported by senior officials of the Republic of Croatia, the Stability Pact for Southeast Europe, the Council of Europe and the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).
"You have started a difficult job of developing multi-ethnicity which I always supported and which is part of my political programme," Croatian President Stjepan Mesic said at today's ceremony.
He said that his today's visit to Serbia and Montenegro, Subotica and Kosovo was part of efforts he was investing in the normalisation of relations and promotion of cooperation between countries of the region.
Stability Pact President Erhard Busek said the Pact would support the network of multi-ethnic cities which, according to him, was a good example to entire united Europe and an important piece in the mosaic of the European stability.
You can be European only if you know how to live together, Busek said and added that Southeast Europe lost a lot in the past due to totalitarianism, nationalism and wars.
The network was also supported by a former Yugoslav Foreign Minister and the chairman of the first table of the Stability Pact, Goran Svilanovic, who said that the idea of friendship was larger than the idea of a national state and the fortune of Europe was bigger than any national idea.