Good bilateral relations are beneficial for economy, PMs Marković and Orbán say

Budapest, Hungary (24 February 2017) – Prime ministers of Montenegro and Hungary, Duško Marković and Viktor Orbán, agreed today in Budapest that good bilateral relations between the two countries and intensive political dialogue at the highest level were beneficial for the economic cooperation.

Prime Minister Marković said that Hungary has been Montenegro's key economic partner for more than a decade and that he expects increased Hungarian investment. He invited Hungarian companies to invest in the energy sector, tourism, agriculture and infrastructure, adding that the Government will open all the doors for them and gave assurances that the administrative problems – that investors face in Montenegro – will be reduced.

Prime Minister Orbán said that Hungary plans stronger investment in the Balkans, but Montenegro will be their priority.

The signing of the Declaration on the establishment of airline route between Podgorica and Budapest will further strengthen cooperation between the two countries.

The officials also spoke about the challenges facing EU. The special attention was devoted to the situation in the Western Balkans. The officials agreed that European integration has no alternative for the region.

During the visit, Interior Minister Mevludin Nuhodžić and his Hungarian counterpart Sandor Pinter signed a Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministries of Interior of Montenegro and Hungary as well as the Protocol between Montenegro and Member States of the European Union for more efficient implementation of the Agreement between Montenegro and the European Community on the readmission of persons without residence permits.

The two ministers also had separate bilateral meeting during which they discussed the strengthening of cooperation in the context of the current global security challenges.

The officials concluded that close cooperation is necessary, primarily the police cooperation, as well as the timely exchange of information, because crime today knows no borders.

Interior Minister Pinter said that Montenegro can count on the continued help and support of Hungary.

Minister Nuhodžić stressed Montenegro's commitment to the membership in the European Union and NATO, and thanked Hungary for its continued support in achieving these foreign policy goals, adding that Montenegro is committed not only to the adoption but also to the full implementation of legislation which is in accordance with the EU aquis. The signed Memorandum of Understanding will further improve cooperation through the exchange of experiences and best practices in the area of migration and asylum, police cooperation, the fight against terrorism and transnational organised crime, as well as in disaster management.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Srđan Darmanović and Minister of Economy Dragica Sekulić were also part of Montenegrin delegation, which visited Hungary.

PUBLIC RELATIONS SERVICE OF THE GOVERNMENT OF MONTENEGRO