Bečić with Rinkevičs: Europe is a major foreign policy goal of Montenegro and something around which there is a political consensus

Montenegro is determined to build even stronger interstate relations with Latvia in the future, primarily through the intensification of political dialogue and the exchange of visits at the highest and highest level, said President of the Assembly Aleksa Bečić.

Today, he met with the Minister of Welsh Affairs of Latvia, Edgars Rinkevičs.

Bečić also assessed that the visit of Rinkevičs is a strong confirmation of Montenegrin-Latvian friendship and a reflection of the mutual appreciation and respect of the two countries.

"Relations between Montenegro and Latvia are characterized by partnership, openness, and continuous mutual support within the framework of bilateral and multilateral cooperation formats. Latvia helped our Euro-Atlantic path and now provides support for accession processes towards EU membership," said Bečić.

As announced from the office of the President of the Assembly, Bečić informed the minister about the political events in the country, the historic change of government and the transitional period that followed, assessing that these political events were lessons in the democratic maturation of society, and emphasized that Montenegro is based on the Agreement which the holders of the winning lists signed after the elections, remained strong on the European and Euro-Atlantic path.

"The fact that today we have the support of citizens for the European and Euro-Atlantic path, which is at a historical maximum, is the strongest evidence and indicator that the Agreement had not only formal, but also completely practical strength and importance," said Bečić.

He emphasized that Europe is "a major foreign policy goal of Montenegro and something around which there is a political consensus".

In this context, the announcement states, Bečić spoke about the delivered results within the accession process, referred to the XNUMX% alignment of foreign policy with EU policy, but also emphasized that Montenegro's decision to accept the benchmarks within the new negotiation methodology, which Montenegro It was not in Gora's favor, but also "the desire to show cooperation towards our European partners".

As he pointed out, it was assessed that "it is important to direct the greatest energy towards the most difficult issues, which are certainly the issues of corruption and the establishment of the rule of law".

"Our principledness and consistency on the EU path is not in question at any moment", said Bečić, while reminding that Montenegro has no open bilateral problems with its neighbors, and that the policy of good neighborly relations is one of the priorities of foreign policy.

The President of the Assembly also assessed that the accession process is two-way, and that it would be significant for both parties, sending a message to less motivated candidate countries, but also to third parties stating that the Western Balkans is also an essential part of Europe.

Speaking about the reforms implemented in the previous period, Bečić informed Rinkevičs of the achieved results, pointing out first of all the success achieved in the sphere of economy and social solutions, stressing that the Parliament gave a strong contribution and flywheel to the whole process.

Bečić welcomed the importance of strengthening parliamentary relations between the two countries and reminded of the capacity of the Friendship Group of the two parliaments, and said that he would be pleased to host the President of the Parliament of Latvia in the future.

Assessing that Montenegro is a candidate country that has achieved a lot, Rinkevičs pointed out the importance of the alignment of Montenegro's foreign policy with EU policy and said that Latvia strongly supports the enlargement process.

"The reforms you have implemented so far are amazing. It is necessary to continue reforms in the judiciary, he said, adding that the new membership would send a message of encouragement to the Western Balkans," said Rinkevičs.

Pointing out the importance of parliamentary cooperation, the minister emphasized that, in addition to the restrictions brought by the pandemic, it is necessary to put in extra effort in order to strengthen it, and on the occasion of the Three Seas Summit, which will also have a parliamentary dimension, he sent an invitation to President Bečić.

"The summit is a good opportunity to discuss the strengthening of regional and bilateral cooperation, as well as an opportunity for you to present your view of the situation in the Western Balkans, but also for us to present our view of the situation in the surrounding area. I believe that the summit will be an opportunity to reach useful solutions ", said the minister.

Praising the reforms that Montenegro has achieved so far, Minister Rinkevičs wished all the best to the citizens of Montenegro on their European journey with the message that the Republic of Latvia will continue to provide support as it has been doing so far.