Cyprus, during its presidency of the Council of the European Union (EU), will provide all support to Montenegro to close the negotiation chapters in which the final benchmarks have been met and to ensure the start of the drafting of the Accession Treaty with Montenegro.
This was announced during a working visit to Nicosia by Minister of European Affairs Maida Gorčević.
As announced by the Ministry of European Affairs (MEP), during her visit to Nicosia, Gorčević met with the Minister of European Affairs Marilena Rauna and the Chairman of the Committee on Foreign and European Affairs in the Parliament of Cyprus, Haris Geogiadis.
Gorčević reportedly thanked the Cypriot presidency for holding the January Intergovernmental Conference at which Montenegro closed Chapter 32 - Financial Supervision.
"I am very pleased with the announcement that an ad hoc working group will soon be formed to draft an Accession Treaty with Montenegro. This is a clear sign that the EU and its member states appreciate Montenegro's efforts and commitment and believe that we can meet all the conditions in time to become the next member," said Gorčević.
She said that Montenegro, as a reliable partner of the EU, is determined to continue with credible results and ensure that it closes all negotiation chapters by the end of 2026 and becomes the next member of the Union in 2028.
"This Government has a historic opportunity and task, after 14 years of conducting accession negotiations, to successfully complete the negotiation process and prepare Montenegro for full membership in the EU. Our citizens expect this from us, and all institutions and the negotiating structure are fully committed to achieving that goal," said Gorčević.
She said that Montenegro's European path is firmly founded on European standards and values and that the achievements so far are the result of the dedicated work of the entire administration.
"The results that the Government has achieved in a short period of time are a reflection of its responsibility towards European partners and especially towards our citizens. I believe that member states will recognize and value the efforts made and reward good results," said Gorčević.
Rauna, as reported, welcomed the results that Montenegro is achieving on its European path, emphasizing that they confirm a clear strategic orientation towards EU membership.
According to her, EU enlargement is one of the key priorities of the Cypriot presidency of the EU Council, and, as Rauna said, Montenegro is a successful example of that policy.
"We expect you to continue with concrete and measurable results, especially in the area of the rule of law, and we will do our best to create the conditions for you to close as many chapters as possible during our presidency and to begin drafting the Accession Treaty as soon as possible," said Rauna.
The MEPs said that Geogiadis welcomed the reform momentum that Montenegro is achieving and which, as he pointed out, is leading to essential transformation and progress and bringing society closer to the European quality of life.
He stressed that Cyprus stands for the merit-based principle and hopes that Montenegro will meet all the conditions to become the next EU member.
Geogiadis stated that it is important to continue consolidating reforms, especially in the field of the fight against corruption and organized crime, freedom of expression, freedom of the media and public administration reform.
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