The eighth summit of 16 Central and Eastern European countries and China, which will from now on be known as the 17+1 initiative after it has been joined by Greece, ended in Dubrovnik on Friday with the adoption of guidelines.

The guidelines were agreed by all prime ministers except Latvia's, who could not attend because of a political crisis at home. In the 14-page document the participating states pledged to support the development of a sustainable global economy and multilateral trade system based on the rules of the World Trade Organisation.

They expressed their commitment to combating corruption, promoting economic globalisation, helping achieve the UN goals of sustainable development by 2030 and encouraging the full implementation of the Paris agreement on climate change.

The members of the initiative also undertook to create a level playing field for foreign companies operating in their respective states, based on mutual respect and fair competition.

The document calls for more effective policies to facilitate the access of companies from Central and Eastern Europe to China and build a more balanced partnership. The participating countries took note of the Three Seas Initiative and expressed their readiness to cooperate with it to improve transport connections between the Adriatic, Baltic and Black seas.

It was agreed that the fifth meeting of the initiative's transport ministers would take place in Croatia next year. The participating countries unanimously accepted Greece as a member and invited other countries and institutions to join as observers.