Minister Boro Vucinic met with EU High Representative Catherine Ashton.

Minister of Defence Boro Vucinic met today in Brussels with EU High Representative for Common Foreign and Security Policy Catherine Ashton. Ashton has sent an invitation for this meeting to the ministers of defence of the Western Balkan countries that are candidates for EU membership, and NATO countries which are not members of the European Union.

Topics for discussion were: Common Security and Defence Policy of the European Union, the EU missions in the world, relations between NATO and EU in defence and security, as well as the situation in Libya.

Minister Vucinic in his speech stressed the importance of Montenegrin cooperation with the EU in the field of defence and security, and informed the participants on the participation of Montenegro in operation Atalanta in Somalia, led by the European Union. Also, on this occasion he expressed Montenegro's commitment to fulfilling the obligations related to its strategic goal of EU membership.

The meeting was an excellent opportunity for Montenegro, in the light of their way towards the EU, to highlight its determination to contribute to cooperation with Europe in the field of defence and security.