Meetings of Minister Pejanović-Đurišić during Halifax forum

Minister of Defence prof. Milica Pejanović Đurišić, PhD met with US Senator John McCain, during participation at Security Forum in Halifax. Montenegro’s achievements in Euro – Atlantic integrations as the importance of Montenegro's progress in that process in terms of regional secuirty and cooperation improvement were pointed out during discussions. Minister Pejanović-Đurišić expressed satisfaction with the quality of cooperation with the USA and gratitude for continued and strong support of the USA Congress as well as for the strivings of Montenegro’s caucus with a view to reaching Euro - Atlantic aspirations of Montenegro.   Minister expressed conviction that Montenegro would be a stability factor, in the following period in the region and had made the interlocutors familiar with the intention of consistent and continued engagement in the period of intensified and focused dialogue with the aim of reaching necessary NATO standards. Related to this, she pointed out that significant results had been achieved in a relatively short period of time in terms of security and defense sector reforms, including modernization and improvement of the Armed Forces capabilities. She emphasized that current intensified and focused dialogue definitely represented a clear message of partner’s readiness, for Montenegro to be implemented a model for the invitation in to the membership before the next NATO Summit.     

Senator McCain agreed with assessments in terms of the Government of Montenegro’s dedication to the overall processes of social reforms and positively evaluated Montenegro’s contribution to global peace and security participating in the international missions and operations. He pointed out his attitude that NATO had missed the opportunity to show, taking Montenegro for example, effectiveness of open door policy. Senator McCain expressed full readiness to additionally engage himself, in the following period, in creating conditions for positive outcome of intensified and focused dialogue process.   

Meeting was attended by newly appointed Senator Tom Cotton who has also expressed readiness to join to the support given by his colleagues from Montenegro’s caucus in Congress to Montenegro in terms of Euro - Atlantic integrations. 

Minister has also met with General John Allen, Special President Obama’s Envoy for the Global Coalition to Counter ISIL and on that occasion exchanged opinions related to global security challenges. They agreed that modern security challenges, including terrorism, request stronger cooperation at global level, including also continuity in exchanging relevant information between states. In that context, Minister informed interlocutor that the Government of Montenegro had initiated activities of better coordination in the region as well as of creating legal framework with a view to preventing recruitment for fight on foreign theaters of operations.        

On the sidelines of the Forum, Minister has also discussed with Minister of Justice of Canada Peter MacKay, Minister of Defence of New Zealand Gerry Brownlee, NATO Deputy Secretary General Alexander Vershbow , Chief of the Armed Forces of the Czech Republic who will be the NATO Military Committee Chairman from June 2015, Deputy Assistant of NATO Secretary General for Political Affairs and and Security Policy James Appathurai, as well as with Ralf Brauksiepe, Parliamentary State Secretary in the Ministry of Defence of the Federal Republic of Germany.