Skopje: Montenegro takes over one-year presidency of A5

Skopje, Macedonia (13 December 2017) -- Minister of Foreign Affairs of Montenegro Srđan Darmanovic took place in the ministerial meeting of the US-Adriatic Charter (A5) in Skopje earlier today, which also represented the final activity within the Macedonian chairmanship of the Charter, which will be taken over by Montenegro in January 2018.

Minister Darmanović congratulated Macedonia on the successful chairmanship of the Charter, stressing that it was of particular importance to Montenegro, bearing in mind that during that term the country became a member of the Alliance.

He noted that the interest of all A5 members and observers is a long-term stable and prosperous Western Balkans, and that European and Euro-Atlantic integration, as well as the strengthening of regional cooperation, are the best guarantors for achieving this goal. He said that the US-Adriatic Charter was one of the most important regional mechanisms for cooperation in the field of security and integration, and that this was demonstrated during the entire Macedonian presidency. In that context, he recalled the Summit A5 held in August 2017 in Podgorica, when US Vice President Mike Pence and heads of state or government of the countries of the region confirmed their strong commitment to integration processes in the Western Balkans.

Head of the Montenegrin diplomacy stressed that Montenegro, while chairing the Charter, will be committed to promoting the Euro-Atlantic aspirations of the countries of the region and will actively assist in the implementation of reforms and fulfilling the criteria for their membership in NATO.

The meeting emphasised the importance of practical cooperation within the Charter and the work of the A5 Joint Team under the auspices of the Resolute Support mission in Afghanistan. Minister Darmanović said that Montenegro will actively encourage the strengthening of practical cooperation and its expansion to other areas of importance for the security of the region and Europe.