Sofia takes over from Thessaloniki In the relay of City Diplomacy The 3rd International Meeting among Mayors of Major Balkan Cities is to be held for the first time outside Greece this year. There have been two Meetings in Thessaloniki, one in December 2000 and one in December 2001, when the Network of Major Balkan Cities was established. Therefore, this Meeting assumes the role of the most important Network Instrument, i.e. the regular annual Synod of Mayors. “City Diplomacy can contribute towards developing local communities and this is why we have established it and mobilized the Balkans and the whole of Europe”, commented the Mayor of Thessaloniki.