Minister of Foreign Affairs Srđan Darmanović was the host of today's online meeting of the ministers of foreign affairs of the member states of the Central European Initiative (CEI), which is held within the Montenegrin presidency of that regional organization. In addition to heads of diplomacy and senior representatives of CEI member states, the meeting was attended by the European Commissioner for Neighborhood Policy and Enlargement Oliver Varhelji and the Regional Director of the World Health Organization (WHO) for Europe, Hans Kluge, as announced by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
"The current pandemic has shown the necessity of more intensive cooperation between the countries of the region, and CEI and other regional organizations provide a good and efficient model for systematically addressing common challenges," said Darmanović, stressing that this mechanism of cooperation significantly contributes to building a more developed and prosperous region. In this context, the statement adds, he pointed out that a good example is the establishment of a single team of CEI and WHO, which enabled mapping the development of the epidemic in the CEI region and generated a joint response to this health crisis.
The head of Montenegrin diplomacy emphasized that commitment to multilateralism is one of the fundamental foreign policy principles of Montenegro, and said that "we must clearly define priorities, take concrete, targeted actions and strengthen institutional connections." Montenegro is honored to continue presiding over this regional initiative during the next year as well, with enthusiasm and unwavering determination to make the ties between the CEI member states even stronger and more meaningful in the period to come.
The ministers of foreign affairs and other high-ranking participants of the meeting praised the activities carried out within the Montenegrin chairmanship of the Initiative this year, especially bearing in mind the difficult circumstances exemplified by the COVID-19 pandemic. Against this background, the ministry added, they welcomed the adoption of today's decision on the extension of Montenegro's chairmanship of this initiative during 2021, at the request of the CEI Secretariat. It was established that the presidency for two years in a row represents a precedent that Montenegro can be proud of.
The important role that CEI plays in strengthening political dialogue and project-oriented cooperation between 17 member states, as well as its contribution to the sustainable development of the region and economic progress, was pointed out, the ministry added. CEI's efforts to provide an effective response to mitigate the health and socio-economic consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic were also praised.
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