Montenegro is recognized as the most advanced candidate country for membership in the European Union (EU), said Montenegrin President Jakov Milatović, adding that the doors of the Union are wide open.
In an interview with the Television of Montenegro, Milatović said that his visit to Brussels came at an important moment for Montenegro.
The visit, he said, comes only a few days after the new European leadership took office.
"Indeed, the impression is that the European Commission, the European Council and the new leadership are committed to enlargement. One of the priorities is enlargement and Montenegro is recognized as the most advanced candidate country. It is a situation that we must take advantage of. The door is wide open for us, and we must not miss it", stated Milatović.
He said that it is important for the state to take advantage of the entire process.
"Not only as part of the goal that we will enter the EU and receive money for projects, but also as a process that is transformative for our society, when it comes to the fight against organized crime and other reforms," said Milatović.
He believes that Montenegro must take advantage of the great technical support of European institutions in order to reform society and ultimately make the country a better place to live.
Milatović, as reported by the RTCG portal, noted that Montenegro has 30 open chapters.
"It is good that we will close at least four chapters by the end of the year, but I think the expectations were that we would close six to eight chapters by 2025, it was expected that we would take this process more seriously," said Milatović.
He added that, if it is currently estimated that the state can close six to eight chapters next year, "together with the ones we will close by the end of this year, this essentially means that we would have to close 2026 chapters by the end of 20." .
Commenting on the document "Barometer 26" that was adopted by the Government of Montenegro today, Milatović said that he welcomes that document if it is a move in relation to the previous behavior of the Government.
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"Given that essentially the Government was the most responsible for certain negative trends that I described in the document that I presented, then it is logical that the Government should sign the Barometer with itself, and that the Prime Minister should sign it with himself", he assessed Milatović.
Answering the question of which subjects he perceives as pro-European forces, he says that pro-European forces are seen in relation to actions, not everyday platitudes.
Speaking about the invitation to dialogue, which he sent to Prime Minister MILojko Spajić, he believes that it is a responsible message.
"I spoke about the need to improve the institutional dialogue and in that direction I sent a responsible message to the Prime Minister. I note with regret that the president's responsible behavior was met with a politically immature and irresponsible response," said Milatović.
Speaking about cohabitation and relations with Spajić, Milatović said that journalists often bring that relationship to a personal level.
"From my side, there is no such context. The two of us were political comrades and together we did a lot of things, that in the end we achieved and helped bring about a political transition in Montenegro", said Milatović.
He said that he thought he had the same principle towards the former Prime Minister.
"It is the same according to Spajić and it will be the same according to a new prime minister, which will happen during my mandate," claims Milatović.
He said that his diplomatic activity has intensified, and he announced the visit of the Czech and Italian presidents at the beginning of the year.
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