On signing the letter of intent, the mayors of the two cities concluded that Rijeka and Trieste are already connected by many bonds. Expressing his wish that Croatia enters the European Union as soon as possible, in order to erase the borders between the two cities, the mayor of Trieste, Mr Dipiazza emphasized that the cities are especially connected by port activities, which should be even more jointly developed in the future.
The mayor of Rijeka, Mr Obersnel pointed out his belief that the signed letter of intent will provide for even better relations between the citizens of Rijeka and Trieste. He said that the two cities had a lot in common, while at the moment they were particularly connected by the possibility of cooperation in the area of port activities, traffic and tourism.

The mayors talked about the organization of city governments and the possible cooperation in the sense of future presentations of certain projects which Trieste can offer, as well as about the possibility of cooperation and joint projects of port auhorities. This will soon be followed by signing the Association Agreement in Rijeka, where they will talk about specific ways of cooperation.

Besides the mayors, the signing was attended by Claudio Boniciolli, the president of the Trieste Port Authority and Guido Galetto, the spokesperson of the City of Trieste, and on the Croatian side there were Tomislav Vidošević, the Croatian ambassador in Rome, Nevenka Grdinić, the consul general in Trieste, Bojan Hlača, the manager of Rijeka Port Authority, Neven Marčić, consul counsellor, and Damir Murković, the president of the Croatian community in Trieste.

According to the agreement between the Croatian ambassador in Rome Tomislav Vidošević and the two mayors, the letter was signed on the occasion of the opening of a photograph exhibition by Marko Vrdoljak "Čudesna Hrvatska" ("The Amazing Croatia") in the building of the City of Trieste, on the initiative and in the organization of the Croatian Embassy in Rome. This is already the second exhibition opened by the mayor Obersnel with the mayor of Trieste in Rome.
(S.R.)