Johannis: Montenegro is an important partner that significantly contributes to the stability of the Western Balkans

Montenegro is an important partner that significantly contributes to the stability of the Western Balkans, announced the President of Romania, Klaus Iohannis.

The Office for Public Relations announced that the President of Montenegro, Jakov Milatović, was welcomed with the highest state and military honors in the Kotroceni Presidential Palace in Bucharest, where a meeting was held with Johannis, at whose invitation he is on an official visit to Romania.

"A bilateral meeting of the delegations of the two countries was held, during which friendly and allied relations between Montenegro and Romania were confirmed, and the topics of discussion were the strengthening of political and economic ties between the two countries," the announcement reads.

Iohannis emphasized that official Bucharest strongly supports the European path of Montenegro.

Milatović stated that the process of European integration is a priority of Montenegrin foreign policy and expressed the expectation that Montenegro will become a full member of the European Union (EU) by 2028, to which, as he said, his five-year mandate is fully dedicated.

"He thanked his Romanian colleague for Romania's continued support for our European path, recalling the results that Montenegro achieved in the previous period in the field of strengthening the rule of law and the independence of institutions, with the aim of accelerating the integration process of our country," the announcement states.

Also, during the meeting, the importance of the alliance of the two countries within NATO was highlighted and the full commitment of the two countries to the joint assessment of regional security challenges was expressed.

"Interest was expressed on both sides to strengthen economic cooperation, especially through increasing the volume of Romanian investments, and the scope for strengthening cooperation in the field of education, tourism and information technologies was indicated," said the Office for Public Relations of the President of Montenegro.

Milatović said that Montenegro is interested in participating in the Three Seas Initiative, saying that European regional platforms that bring together geographically close countries and that promote economic growth and cooperation in the fields of transport, energy and digital connectivity represent a reliable model for our common European future.

"During the official visit to Romania, President Milatović will meet with Prime Minister Marćel Ćolaku, President of the Romanian Senate Nikolae Ćuk and President of the House of Representatives Alfredo Simonis," the announcement concludes.