Dubrovnik Mayor Mato Franković reflected on yesterday's Ukraine-Southeast Europe summit, which took place on Wednesday in Dubrovnik, organized by the Office of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Croatia. The mayor expressed his gratitude to the citizens for their patience.

Below is the mayor’s full statement:

Dear citizens,

Yesterday, our city hosted the summit between Ukraine and Southeast European countries.

Following the major international event, the China 16+1 summit, Dubrovnik once again demonstrated its ability to organize international events at the highest security level.

It was an honor for me to welcome the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, and to present him with the book “The Enigma of Victory” by Oliver Pezo. President Zelensky, at the suggestion of Prime Minister Andrej Plenković, visited the Memorial Room of Dubrovnik Defenders, where he, along with the Prime Minister, laid flowers in honor of the brave heroes of our city.

Dubrovnik, as the host city, a symbol of peace and cultural heritage, is an ideal place to send a strong message of solidarity and joint efforts to preserve freedom.

I am confident that the Dubrovnik Declaration will be an important step toward building peace.

I thank the citizens of Dubrovnik for their patience throughout the day. Thanks to you, we have once again proven ourselves on the international stage as a city that is hospitable, safe, and with an outstanding reputation. All of this is only possible through the synergy of citizens and city administration, making even the most demanding tasks easier to accomplish.

Once again, dear citizens, thank you! We have shown and proven many times that we proudly bear the title of tourism champions and a city whose reputation is recognized in every corner of the world. This is Dubrovnik, a city of international renown.

With respect,

Mato Franković