Raičević with Kiza: Improve cooperation and presence of American investors in Bar and Montenegro

The Mayor of the Municipality of Bar, Dušan Raičević, hosted today the Chargé d'Affaires ad interim of the United States Embassy in Montenegro, Michael Keyes. This is Keyes' first official visit to the Municipality of Bar, and also his first meeting with any of the presidents of Montenegrin municipalities since taking office in February this year, the Bar local government announced.

Stressing his satisfaction with the visit, President Raičević, as stated in the statement, introduced Kiz to the basic strategic directions of Bar's development as a city that is positioning itself year after year as a recognized and attractive tourist center, and a city that lives European values, open to international cooperation and partnerships that contribute to overall economic and social development.

Raičević and Kiz particularly emphasized the importance of Bar as a host to numerous NATO ships, which further confirms its strategic position and contributes to the sense of safety and security for both citizens and the large number of foreigners who live and stay in the city.

"The focus of the talks was on strengthening strategic partnerships with American companies and institutions, especially in the areas of infrastructure development, security and modern technologies, along with an exchange of views on the possibilities of intensifying economic cooperation and creating conditions for a stronger presence of American investors in Bar and Montenegro," the Municipality of Bar said in a statement.

Special emphasis was placed on the importance of the Port of Bar as a key generator of economic development of the city and the country, with strong development potential, including opportunities for establishing partnerships with American entities that could contribute to the further valorization of this strategic resource.

Raičević also pointed to the efforts of the local administration to ensure that the starting point of the highway route would be the Port of Bar, assessing that such a solution would significantly improve the development prospects of the city and further strengthen its logistical and economic role.

As reported by the Bar municipality, Kiz particularly praised Bar's role in providing support to NATO forces, assessing that such cooperation further strengthens partnership relations and alliance between the two countries.

During the meeting, the Intergovernmental Agreement between the United States of America and Montenegro was also discussed, which should contribute to the implementation of development projects of importance to the country, while creating additional opportunities for the presence of American companies as reliable business partners and investors in the Montenegrin market.

Keyes emphasized the strategic importance of Montenegro as a country connecting the Western Balkans with the European and Euro-Atlantic space, confirming the strong support of the United States for the reform processes.

"The interlocutors agreed that there is significant room for further improvement of cooperation at the local and state levels, with the common goal of creating new development opportunities, strengthening the economy and improving the quality of life of citizens," the statement concluded.