Montenegro stays credible partner of Cental European Initiative, PM Đukanović says at Vienna's summit

Vienna, Austria (25 November 2014) -- Regional cooperation and European integration are Montenegro’s most important foreign policy priorities, and the country is fully committed to actively participating in regional organisations and initiatives, including the Central European Initiative (CEI), Prime Minister Milo Đukanović said at the summit of CEI prime ministers, which was held Monday in Vienna. 

Presidency of the CEI in 2010 was particularly significant for Montenegro, Prime Minister Đukanović pointed out, adding it was marked by the adoption and implementation of a strategic and political document entitled "Budva Recommendations", along with specific efforts towards streamlining the CEI programme to a common European future for all its members.

He welcomed the CEI's decision to put the Western Balkan’s integration into European structures at the top of its agenda, as an additional impetus for further cooperation, at the same time voicing satisfaction with the fact that 10 out of 18 CEI’s member states are already in the EU, while others are candidates, potential candidates and EU partners, which testifies to the initiative's credibility and its contribution to the accession process.

In order to maintain a good pace of the integration process, PM Đukanović said the CEI member states, as well as the CEI as a whole, can count on Montenegro as a credible partner which will remain committed to its foreign policy objectives, especially at the regional level, through the cooperation with its neighbouring countries and establishing regional mechanisms.

The Prime Minister congratulated Austria on its excellent chairmanship of the initiative and wished success to Macedonia, which takes over the CEI's presidency, sure at the knowledge that its priorities and calendar of activities will be aimed at further enhancing regional architecture.

The Vienna’s summit adopted a declaration on the occasion of the CEI’s 25th anniversary – a document that supports the member states’ efforts towards the implementation of common goals through a coordinated approach and defining guidelines for further work in order to achieve a common vision: building a democratic, market-oriented and prosperous society based on European values.

During its existence, the CEI has helped building bridges between countries, on the basis of the spirit of change in Europe and the reform process at political, socio-economic and security levels in the countries that have joined the EU. These are the reasons why the CEI nowadays enjoys a observatory status in the UN General Assembly, a partner role in implementing the EU Strategy for the Danube Region and the Adriatic-Ionian region, but also the Baltic and Black Sea basins, and regional organisations and initiatives, including the Adriatic-Ionian Initiative.