Mesic expressed satisfaction with cooperation Croatia had with the the three countries and multilateral cooperation within numerous political and economic organisations, the statement said.
The Croatian head of state said CEFTA was a regional preparation for an integrated European market because it urged member states to cooperate and set certain standards, the statement said.
The members of the CEFTA delegation congratulated Croatia on the start of its EU membership talks and stressed the importance of CEFTA's future functioning saying that the region needed it as a preparation stage on the path to the EU.
The Central European Free Trade Agreement (CEFTA) in line with the Visegrad Declaration signed in February 1991. Croatia joined CEFTA in March 2003.