Marković – Waszczykowski: Membership in NATO, security policy for Montenegro and the region as a whole

PHOTO GALLERY: DPM Marković hosts Polish Minister of Foreign Affairs Witold Waszczykowski

Podgorica, Montenegro (25 May 2016) – Deputy Prime Minister Duško Marković met today with Polish Minister of Foreign Affairs Witold Waszczykowski, who is on an official visit to Montenegro.

Welcoming Minister Waszczykowski, DPM Marković stressed that his visit comes at a time of excellent bilateral relations between the two countries and the strong Polish support to integration process of Montenegro, which Montenegro recognises as an incentive for further improvement of cooperation, especially in economy and tourism.

"Poland has continuously provided strong support to the integration process of Montenegro and we believe this trend will continue in the future, because today we have a clear message that this country will be among the first to ratify the Accession Protocol for membership in the Alliance" DPM Marković said, stressing that Montenegro is able to accept not only the benefits but also the responsibilities of the membership in NATO and the European Union.

Minister Waszczykowski congratulated on Montenegro's independence Jubilee and the signing of the Protocol of Accession to NATO, reminding that Poland underwent a complex path to the membership in the Alliance, and that regarding its integration experiences Poland and the Polish Government are available for every kind of support, help and partnerships to Montenegro. In the context of the current political situation in Montenegro, Polish Minister concluded that the Government wisely and sustainably resolved opened political issues, and that such a responsible approach will be a good model for other countries in the region, and beyond.

The Deputy Prime Minister stressed that Montenegro shares the democratic values of the contemporary world, and the best indicator of stability in its internal and foreign policy plan is successful and democratic overcoming of challenges in the period behind us, pointing out that the Western Balkans region, with negative historical heritage, is particularly challenging for the rule of law, which is the goal of any democratic society.

"We are not concerned about the high expectations regarding integration, because we have successfully established the required level of the rule of law and have made the political system so stable, which is the basis for economic security and the best guarantee both for Polish and all other investors," Marković concluded.