Milatović: Montenegro must progress faster on its EU path

Montenegro must progress faster on its European path if it wants to complete the negotiation process and enter the final phase of accession by the end of 2026, said Montenegrin President Jakov Milatović.

He said this at a press conference after a meeting with Polish President Andrzej Duda, who is on an official visit to Montenegro.

Milatović said he was pleased that during the final part of the Polish presidency of the Council of the European Union (EU), Montenegro will close Chapter 5 - Public Procurement at the Intergovernmental Conference this week.

"This is an important signal and incentive, but I must clearly and responsibly say that this is not enough. If we want to complete the negotiation process by the end of 2026 and enter the final phase of accession, Montenegro must progress faster on its EU path," Milatović stressed.

Commitment to this goal, according to him, must be daily, tangible and measurable.

"As president, I take my share of responsibility and continue to do what is in my power - to provide support and strengthen trust between Montenegro and our partners," Milatović said.

Milatović emphasized that Poland and Montenegro have long-standing good relations, based on trust, open dialogue and shared values.

He stated that he was particularly grateful to Poland for its strong and consistent support on Montenegro's path towards EU membership.

"In a time of global uncertainty and serious security challenges, the Union's enlargement policy must remain credible and effective," said Milatović, adding that Poland is one of the countries that clearly demonstrates this in both word and deed.

Milatović also said that Montenegro and Poland, as allies within NATO, share a strong commitment to collective security and the preservation of common democratic values.

He pointed to Poland's significant role in preserving the European security architecture, stating that Poland has become one of the key countries when it comes to European security.

According to Milatović, bilateral relations between Poland and Montenegro are excellent in political terms, but they need to be strengthened through even greater economic cooperation.

"For Montenegro, Poland is more than a partner and ally, Poland is a friend," said Milatović, adding that today this friendship and the common will and readiness to further strengthen it have been confirmed once again.

Duda emphasized that Poland supports Montenegro's path to the EU and believes that the country's full membership in the Union is realistic by 2028.

He pointed out the importance of Montenegrin membership in NATO for European integration, stating that Montenegro is considered safe.

Duda referred to the NATO summit to be held this week in The Hague, stating that one of the main topics will be increasing defense spending.

"I am glad that we have a consensus on defense spending and raising it to five percent of GDP," said Duda, recalling that he had personally advocated for this before.

He also pointed out the importance of the presence of Montenegrin soldiers in NATO contingents in Latvia and Bulgaria, stating that during the meeting he thanked Milatović for the role that Montenegro plays in creating security on the Eastern Wing.

Duda said he hopes the NATO Summit in The Hague will be peaceful, not turbulent.

"We hope that it will not be a stormy summit and that we will have unity in NATO. We all care about that and I think we should do everything to bring our ties closer," said Duda.

When asked by reporters about the escalation of the conflict in the Middle East and the attack by the United States (US) on Iran, Duda said that he was concerned about the escalation of the war situation in the Middle East, recalling that the region has been a hotbed for decades.

According to him, if the US got involved and intervened in this way, it means that it was clear that Iran really wanted nuclear weapons.

"That would be dangerous for the entire world," said Duda, adding that he hopes that after the American attacks, the parties will sit down and negotiate in order to calm down and end the conflict in that region.

Milatović said that Montenegro is concerned about the escalation of the conflict in the Middle East, adding that he hopes that the involvement of the US will lead to de-escalation.

"Now it would be best to sit down and talk to find a solution," said Milatović.

He emphasized that Montenegro has a foreign policy that is aligned with the EU's foreign and security policy.

"This has been the case for more than a decade and we will continue our alignment with the EU's foreign and security policy," Milatović said.

As he added, Montenegro has been doing this even before it became a full member of the Union, thus further demonstrating its commitment to common positions.

When asked by journalists what he expects the authorities to do after the Venice Commission's (VC) opinion on the retirement of Constitutional Court judges arrived and after the ruling parties failed to take concrete steps, Milatović said that credibility in implementing the opinion is necessary.

He recalled that the EU Ambassador to Montenegro, Johan Sattler, together with representatives of the ruling party and the opposition, sent a question to the Supreme Court regarding the retirement of judges and that an opinion was received that was very clear in its position that the procedure provided for by the Constitution had been violated.

"I think it is important to show credibility in the context of implementing the Venice Commission's opinion. If someone did this just to return the Democratic Party of Socialists to the parliamentary benches, without taking into account respect for the rule of law, then that is not a good message," said Milatović.

He reiterated the call for respect for the rule of law in the context of the implementation of the VK opinion.