New York: Ambassador Pejović participates in meeting of foreign ministers of Austria and Western Balkans and Clinton Global Initiative

New York, United Stated of America (19 September 2016) – The meeting of the foreign ministers of Austria and the Western Balkans, which was held in New York on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, showed that cooperation between the Western Balkan countries in the EU accession process contributed to the encouraging of economic development and growth and the strengthening of good neighbourly relations, and showed political maturity and capacity of the countries of the region to initiate and implement activities of common interest. The meeting was attended by the foreign ministers of Albania, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Macedonia and Serbia Ditmir Bushati, Sebastian Kurz, Igor Crnadak, Enver Hoxhaj, Nikola Poposki and Ivica Dačić, as well as European Commissioner for Neighbourhoud Policy and Enlargement Negotiations Johannes Hahn. State Secretary for European Integration and Chief Negotiator Ambassador Aleksandar Andrija Pejović represented Montenegro at the meeting.

The foreign ministers also exchanged views on the role of the European integration process and regional initiatives to build good neighbourly relations. Security challenges, with a focus on the refugee crisis and extremism, were also on the agenda.

Ambassador Aleksandar Andrija Pejović said that the regional cooperation is a prerequisite for stable and steady progress towards EU membership, but also a necessary condition for substantial political, economic and overall democratic progress and further development of all countries in the Western Balkans.

"Regional cooperation and good neighbourly relations are an indication of the societies' maturity to overcome misunderstandings, prejudices and conflicts of the past in order to ensure stability and promote economic growth, and create a better future for all our citizens. In this regard it is important to effectively utilise the mechanisms that provide the EU accession process and the existing regional initiatives, but also to provide a more proactive role of the countries of the region in order to bring the process to an end," Ambassador Pejović said.

When it comes to security challenges, Ambassador Pejović said that Montenegro is pursuing an active policy in the area of migration and growing terrorism, especially through the activities and measures in the framework of the negotiating chapter 24 and presented normative and institutional framework in this area. He welcomed the new strategic framework of the EU in the field of foreign and security policy, pointing out that Montenegro recognised the need for implementation of a wide range of prevention activities at the national level, as well as the need for more intensive cooperation at regional and international level.

The foreign ministers welcomed the conclusions of the recent summit held in Paris, adopting the list of projects in the field of rail transport and energy sector worth nearly 450 million EUR and signing the Agreement on the Establishment of the Regional Office for Youth Cooperation in the Western Balkans. They also exchanged opinions on the deepening of economic integration.

Ambassador Pejović also participated in the Clinton Global Initiative, which brought together current and former heads of state and government, and influential representatives of the business community and civil society.