A more sustainable future can only be achieved through the joint cooperation of all countries, said the President of Montenegro, Jakov Milatović, adding that a just and fair transition to a green economy is extremely important.
In an interview with the Emirates News Agency on the occasion of his participation in the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28) in Dubai, he said that everyone must work together to fight for a more sustainable future.
"In that sense, the expectations I had from the COP28 conference have been fulfilled," said Milatović.
He stated that things can always be more ambitious.
"We support the views of the Secretary General of the United Nations that we should work towards the complete elimination of fossil fuels from use, of course through a phased approach, so it is necessary not only to reduce their use, but to completely eliminate them from use," added Milatović.
He said that everyone must work towards that goal.
According to Milatović, the transition to the green economy and the green agenda are extremely important, but in these efforts, one must always keep in mind that it should be a just and fair transition.
"So we need to take care of our economies and people currently employed in some of the fossil fuel dependent sectors and help them acquire new and additional skills, diversifying our economies in a much more sustainable way - through energy efficiency, with efforts towards additional construction of renewable sectors and intensification of joint cooperation of countries in the world", said Milatović.
He believes that this is the way to go.
"We have to be ambitious and persistent in this, and that is also the message that I personally promote as the President of Montenegro," said Milatović.
He said that the United Arab Emirates (UAE) was a great host of the COP28 conference.
"The conference was very successful, primarily because of the great achievement on the first day when the Damage and Loss Fund was established, within which developed countries will realize contributions for the welfare of developing countries, which are most affected by climate change," said Milatović.
He considers this to be the main achievement of the event.
"The vision of the leaders of the UAE and their efforts towards the realization of that vision were significant, and I want to congratulate them on what they did on behalf of all of us," said Milatović.
According to him, the world is a very complex place at the moment.
As Milatović stated, different parts of the world face different challenges, be it poverty, political uncertainty and tensions, wars.
He pointed out that the challenge of climate change is one of the things that everyone in the world has in common.
"Both the UAE and Montenegro are committed partners within the framework of multilateral cooperation, and Montenegro's presence at the COP28 conference and the fact that the UAE is its host is highly valued by both sides - the UAE and Montenegro are friendly countries and our mutually excellent cooperation is a confirmation of that." Milatović said.
He said that numerous things prove that there are also negative impacts of climate change in Montenegro.
"Especially during the last 20 years, when we ourselves have witnessed frequent extreme weather conditions, both in winter and summer," said Milatović.
He said that it affects the infrastructure, the tourism sector in Montenegro and that this is exactly what is happening in the UAE.
"And that's why I say that both countries are strongly committed to joint efforts, global efforts to make the world a sustainable place to live, to make our future sustainable," said Milatović.
He said that it is appreciated that the UAE particularly stands out as one of the countries that is very dedicated to that goal, adding that the same applies to Montenegro.
"We are one of the first countries in the world to incorporate ecological status into the Constitution, since 1992 we have been proclaiming that Montenegro is an ecological country, with the aim that environmental policies, i.e. policies of sustainable development, will be transferred to all our national policies", he added. is Milatović.
This, as he said, is what he promotes on a daily basis and the reason why Montenegro has numerous innovative instruments through which it tries to be on the front line of the fight against climate change.
Milatović reminded that the Fund for Accelerated Development of Montenegro was established last year, related to the goals of sustainable development.
That Fund, as he said, was established as an innovative financial mechanism or platform, within which the Government and the private sector work together to finance projects and programs that lead to a more sustainable future.
Milatović said that the world has truly become a more complex place, especially in the past two or three years, with geopolitical tensions that are present all over the world - in the Middle East, in Eastern Europe, in West Africa.
"I think that sometimes all these things make us all forget how important the issues of climate change are, which we all face together," said Milatović.
In this sense, as he said, events like the COP28 conference held in the UAE are a clear reminder of how big that challenge is.
"Also, events like that show us that we can achieve the goal of a more sustainable future only through the joint cooperation of all countries. If this is not the case, the big question is whether we will succeed in this," said Milatović.
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