Regular annual meeting of Montenegrin diplomats

Podgorica, Montenegro (13 October 2016) -- A regular annual meeting of the management of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration and the diplomatic and consular representations of Montenegro was held yesterday and today in Podgorica.

They reviewed at the two-day’s meeting the implemented activities of diplomatic and consular network over the past year, as well as future commitments and plans for the improvement of the diplomatic service, particularly in the context of meeting requirements for membership in the EU and NATO. They also discussed the modalities of improving the internal competence of the Ministry and diplomatic and consular network.

On the first day, the Minister of Foreign and European Affairs of the Slovak Republic Miroslav Lajčak delivered an opening speech. On that occasion, Lajčak pointed out that Montenegro used the decade of independence in the best possible way, to implement both the serious internal reforms and the key foreign policy priorities. In this regard, he praised the remarkable accomplishments achieved in terms of integration into the EU and NATO, membership in all relevant international organisations, as well as Montenegro’s role in building good-neighborly relations and strengthening regional cooperation.

On the second day, Prime Minister of the Government of Montenegro Milo Đukanović and the management of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration of Montenegro spoke with the heads of diplomatic and consular representations.

Prime Minister Milo Đukanović presented the key efforts and effects of the foreign policy in the past Government’s mandate, in terms of both the EU and NATO integration and the economic development. He said that the remarkable results are achieved at the economic level, and pointed to a good investment framework which marked the Government’s mandate, under which infrastructure, energy and tourism projects were initiated.

Prime Minister Đukanović said that the results in the area of foreign policy, especially the European and Euro-Atlantic integration, marked a strategic shift towards a new system of the state and society value, and he also expressed satisfaction with the progress that was made in accessing the Alliance and the negotiation process, which qualifies Montenegro as a serious and stable partner in the Western Balkans.