Minister Darmanović at NATO Foreign Minister meeting: New set of measures for strenghtening NATO and EU cooperation is adopted

Brussels, Belgium (5 December 2017) -- On the first day of the meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Brussels, where Montenegro participates for the first time as a member, a new set of measures to strengthen NATO and EU cooperation in areas of mutual interest is adopted.

On that occasion, Minister of Foreign Affairs Srđan Darmanović expressed his support for enhancing the cooperation of the two organisations, assessing that the adoption of new measures is an important step for further strengthening of the strategic partnership between NATO and the EU.

The meeting of the foreign ministers was attended by the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini, with whom Minister Darmanović also had a separate meeting.

Mogherini expressed her strong support and commitment to the European perspective of the Western Balkans. During the meeting, the officials agreed that reconciliation and solidarity are the preconditions for further progress in the region. It was jointly assessed that the regatta principle should represent the backbone of the EU enlargement policy, highlighting in this context Montenegro's leadership role.

On the sidelines of the meeting, Minister Darmanović met with the newly elected Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands Halbe Zijlstra, when they exchanged their views on the current political and security situation in the region.

Also, Minister Darmanović met with the European Parliament's rapporteur for Montenegro Charles Tannock, who praised Montenegro's results in the EU negotiation process, expressing the belief that the remaining chapters would be opened according to the planned dynamics.

Minister Darmanović also attended a celebration marking 50 years since the adoption of Harmel's report, the NATO document from 1967, which established the concept of defence and deterrence.