PM Đukanović hosts British Ambassador: Montenegro is grateful for gesture of strong friendship

Podgorica, Montenegro (31 October 2016) – Prime Minister Milo Đukanović hosted today British Ambassador to Montenegro Ian Whitting and the Defence Attaché to Montenegro Col. Simon Fitzgibbon.

Ambassador Whitting handed over a letter to the Prime Minister from Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, in which he informs him that the United Kingdom has completed the process to ratify the Accession Protocol.

"We look forward to welcoming Montenegro as the 29th NATO ally in 2017. As Montenegro continues to set the pace in the Western Balkans on her Euro-Atlantic path, I am very keen that we look to further strenghten our bilateral relationship, in particular in areas of rule of law reform, tackling organised crime and corruption and institutional capacity building," the letter reads.

PM Đukanović asked Ambassador Whitting to convey Mr Johnson and his country an appreciation for this gesture of strong state friendship toward Montenegro, which will continue to be a responsible partner in meeting reform commitments and the promotion of Euro-Atlantic and European values in the region. He expressed his gratitude to the British Government for its continued support to the reform and democratic course of Montenegro, especially emphasising the importance of cooperation in the defence sector, in the context of the forthcoming membership in NATO.

Among other things, Ambassador Whitting stressed that the membership of Montenegro in NATO is important not only for our country, but also for the UK and all members of the Alliance. He expressed confidence that the London's ratification will encourage the other NATO member states to make this process completed as soon as possible, in the interest of all sides. He positively evaluated the cooperation in the field of military and defence, and conveyed an interest to continue partnership cooperation with the new government, in this and other areas.

The Ambassador congratulated the Prime Minister Đukanović on elections results and stressed that the British Embassy monitored the preparation and implementation of the electoral process, which he highly rated, with the belief that the learned lessons will be incorporated in future election cycles. The Prime Minister thanked for the willingness to cooperate with the future government and continued support for the institutional building, noting taht they are the best guardion of our country and the most solid foundation of democracy. PM Đukanović stated that it will be easier to overcome future challenges cooperating with such important partners.

PUBLIC RELATIONS SERVICE OF THE GOVERNMENT OF MONTENEGRO