The organization of the European Union (EU) - Western Balkans Summit on June 5 in Tivat will confirm that Montenegro is institutionally mature and ready for EU membership, the office of President Jakov Milatović announced.
Milatović's office stated that Montenegro will host the Summit, which brings together 27 leaders of EU member states, heads of European institutions, and leaders of countries in the region, the first event of such a rank in the country's history.
According to them, holding the Summit represents a strong confirmation of international confidence in Montenegro as the most advanced candidate for EU membership.
As they said, the initiative for Montenegro to be the host was launched by Milatović with the ambition that the European agenda of the region would be led by the country that was furthest advanced in the negotiations.
"This is not a protocol gathering, but a strategic political moment in which decisions are made about the dynamics of enlargement, security and stability of the European continent," the statement said.
Milatović's cabinet said that Montenegro is not welcoming Europe on June 5th, but rather gathering it.
They pointed out that on that day, the political center of Europe will be in Montenegro, stating that 42 delegations and around 300 representatives of international and domestic media are expected to arrive.
"It will be a moment in which European messages and decisions about the future of the region will be shaped precisely from Montenegro," the statement said.
The summit in Tivat will, as announced, bring together the highest EU officials, including the President of the European Council Antonio Koštu, the Presidents of the European Commission and the European Parliament, Ursula von der Leyen and Robert Metsola, the EU High Representative Kaja Kalas, as well as the leaders of member states and other countries.
Milatović's office said that preparations are being carried out through an institutional framework formed in a timely manner and with clearly defined responsibilities, and the organizing committee, led by the President's Office, brings together representatives of several government departments, the Police Directorate, the Airport of Montenegro and the Municipality of Tivat.
"The organization of the Summit confirms our institutional maturity and readiness for membership," Milatović's office stated.
According to them, the summit also has a strong development dimension because Tivat gets the opportunity to position itself as the host of a top-level event, while Montenegro gets the space to show itself to Europe as a country ready for the next step.
Additional symbolism, as stated by the President's Office, is provided by the fact that the Summit is being held in the year when we mark two decades since the restoration of Montenegro's independence.
"Twenty years after the restoration of statehood, Montenegro will be a place where a European dialogue on the future of the region is being conducted," the statement says.
It is emphasized that the Tivat Summit is a state project and a matter of national interest.
"The challenge is great, but it is an even greater opportunity - to show that Montenegro does not belong to the periphery but to the core of European politics and that it is ready to become the 28th member of the European Union," the statement concludes.
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