Montenegro and Italy are bound by close historical ties, friendly and allied relations and substantial bilateral cooperation, it was announced during the meeting of the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Ervin Ibrahimović with the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Italy Antonio Tajani, who is on an official visit to Montenegro.
Ibrahimović said that he was particularly pleased that the visit of his colleague Tajani was the first visit by a colleague, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, since he took office, according to a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
"The conversation we had, as well as the visit itself, are a confirmation of the commitment of Montenegro and Italy to bilateral cooperation and the continuous development of our interstate relations, as well as to the strengthening of political dialogue at a high level. Montenegro greatly appreciates Italy's support for our European path, demonstrated through proactive , a very important role within the "Friends of the Western Balkans" group, the minister pointed out.
He reminded that European and Euro-Atlantic values represent the strategic commitment of the Montenegrin Government, expressing satisfaction with Italy's repeated, unequivocal support even today, according to the statement of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
"I am glad that friendly countries, such as Italy, share our satisfaction and enthusiasm and that they will continue to support us at all levels, in order to achieve our goal and become the first next member of the European Union," added Ibrahimović.
Tajani said that Italy considers Montenegro a strategic partner, among other things, due to close historical ties, as well as that the Western Balkans is one of the priorities of Italian foreign policy.
"The continuity of our very good bilateral relations is accompanied by the NATO alliance, as well as full support for the further European integration of Montenegro. We will do everything to make it a member of the European Union as soon as possible," said the head of Italian diplomacy. Extending an invitation to Minister Ibrahimović to visit Rome, he emphasized that Italy is ready to share its knowledge and best practices with Montenegro in numerous areas, such as tourism, culture, and energy. In the statement of the MFA, it is added that he said that the economic cooperation is good, but that it can be even better.
"This is precisely why it is important to intensify contacts. We will redouble our efforts towards the further development and economic prosperity of Montenegro and the Western Balkan region," Tajani said.
Today, he and Ibrahimović also spoke at the Second Round Table on Energy Italy - Montenegro, and in their addresses it was pointed out that the field of energy is an important link between the two countries and that it represents an area of very dynamic cooperation, which offers numerous opportunities for additional intensification.
They recalled one of the successful Italian investments realized through the construction of an underwater electric power cable and expressed their willingness to further strengthen cooperation through new initiatives and projects in the coming period, said the MFA.
Ibrahimović and Tajani agreed that Montenegro, as a leader in the negotiation process with the EU, has the potential to be a catalyst for the further economic prosperity of the Western Balkans, which is one of Italy's political priorities. In this regard, they emphasized their mutual readiness to work together on mapping new modalities of cooperation and overcoming challenges in the region, with the active participation and support of friendly countries, such as Italy, the announcement concludes.
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