DPM Zoran Pažin meets with Head of OSCE Mission Maryse Daviet

Podgorica, Montenegro (13 February 2017) -- Deputy Prime Minister for Political System, Internal and Foreign Policy and Minister of Justice Zoran Pažin met today with the newly appointed Head of the OSCE Mission in Montenegro Ambassador Maryse Daviet.

The OSCE Mission in Montenegro and the Government of Montenegro have a successful long-term cooperation, which will be further strengthened and improved, the officials agreed.

Deputy Prime Minister Pažin congratulated Ambassador Daviet on her appointment as the Head of Mission and expressed satisfaction with a long-standing successful cooperation, with special emphasis on the importance of support that the OSCE Mission provided during the electoral process, stressing the weight of the ODIHR Monitoring Mission report.

He thanked the OSCE Mission for the partnership with Montenegrin institutions in the area of institutional capacity strengthening, in order to achieve a more powerful implementation of policies, especially considering the support that the OSCE Mission provides to the Ministry of Justice in judicial reform and strengthening the rule of law.

Deputy Prime Minister Pažin said that Montenegro and its institutions are constantly working to improve the fundamental democratic values, in cooperation with the OSCE. In this regard, he stated that he looks forward to continued cooperation through future activities.

Ambassador Daviet pointed out that the last elections were fair and democratic, as evidenced by the final report of the ODIHR Monitoring Mission. The report noted that the parliamentary elections were organised in a peaceful and democratic spirit, in accordance with the reformed legal framework, with the use of new information technologies for the voters identification. The Ambassador said that the recommendations for strengthening the electoral administration and other technical improvements are recorded, and now is time to approach their implementation.

Also, the Head of Mission noted that the OSCE in Montenegro will continue to support in 2017 the Ministry of Justice in the implementation of key policies in this department, especially through projects related to the rule of law and further strengthening of institutions. She emphasised that the Parliament is the appropriate forum for democratic dialogue and debate in Montenegro.