Tirana: Prime Minister Milo Đukanović attends 2015 Vienna Business Forum

Tirana, Albania (28 May 2015) – The Western Balkans will continue pursuing its foreign policy priorities - European and Euro-Atlantic accession processes, Montenegro's Prime Minister Milo Đukanović said at 2015 Vienna Economic Forum, which took place in Tirana.

“It is important for each country in the region, but also for the overall stability of the Euro-Atlantic region. That is my answer to the doubts which are still present in the European political dialogue when it comes to the so called ’’enlargement fatigue. In order to make Europe globally competitive, it is very important to reach the maximum stability, use all available resources and be focused on permanent development”, PM Đukanović emphasised.

There is no stability or optimal usage of potentials without full consolidation of the European continent, PM Đukanović underlined, adding that the first step towards achieving this objective is the Western Balkan’s integration into European Union.

Considering the recent incident in Macedonia, Montenegro’s Prime Minister highlighted that stability is the key issue for the entire region and that it should be paid particular attention.

“It took a long time to make a step forward when it comes to the relations between Belgrade and Pristine, and thanks to the courage and efforts of the Serbian officials Ivica Dačić and Aleksandar Vučić and their Kosovo counterparts Hashim Thaçi and Isa Mustafa the process is going in a right direction. It is extremely important to secure further dynamics of that process”, PM Đukanović pointed out.

Speaking of situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina, PM Đukanović said that he cannot be satisfied with the state’s functioning, adding it is crucial to establish a better climate after the elections.

“Without resolving those issues, by including the most significant factors of the international community, we will extend vulnerability of the entire region,” PM Đukanović stressed. The instability of the region has been generated by centuries-old economic and democratic deficit compared to the rest of Europe, he added.

Economic and democratic development virtually impossible without safety and stability, which will can be established by investing additional efforts in removing economic issues and barriers, PM Đukanović underlined. In that regard, the EU should do more to support the region and prove that its support is not based only on a declarative commitment of letting the Western Balkans be part of the EU, PM Đukanović added.

According to the Prime Minister, none of the Western Balkan states is in position to overcome a huge economic gap between the region and the EU on their own.

“The source of the Western Balkan’s instability is intolerance of diversity and lack of understanding among the states. The region is not sufficiently integrated because of the very low level of travelling and that makes our differences reflected as a problem not a resource. Therefore, it is very important to improve connectedness between the region and the European corridors, and to accelerate its full-fledged membership in the EU,” PM Đukanović pointed out.