SEECP Summit in Brdo near Kranj adopted Declaration on confirmation of cooperation in region

Brdo near Kranj (24 April 2018) -- Heads of State/Government of Southeast Europe adopted at today's Summit of the South-East European Cooperation Process (SEECP), which took place in Brdo near Kranj, the Declaration of the "Brdo Summit SEECP", which strongly confirmed the commitment of cooperation within the SEECP, with a special focus on the European perspective of the region and stability, as well as youth cooperation and connectivity in the field of digital economy.

The declaration highlights the shared vision of Southeast Europe as part of a united, free and prosperous Europe, while the stability, prosperity and good neighbourly relations of the region are underlined as the main political priorities that should be addressed through development, economic growth, adoption and implementation of reforms, as well as through intensive efforts to resolve overwhelming outstanding issues, while respecting existing agreements.

The summit confirmed a decision made by a consensus on consecutive terms of office of the Secretary General of the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC), meaning in for the period from 2019 to 2021, the position will be held by candidate of Albania Majlinda Bregu, and after that, from 2002 to 2024 by Montenegro's candidate Igor Lukšić, PhD.

The Summit reached a decision that, in the next two-year period, the SEECP will be presided for a year by Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Kosovo, respectively.

Prime Minister Duško Marković said at the Summit that, given the contemporary and dynamic challenges facing the region of Southeast Europe, the existing framework represents a platform through which we come together to the best solutions that will contribute to preserving security, stability and progress of the region.

"Western Balkans need to remain focused on European and Euro-Atlantic integration process as the best way to strengthen democracy and development. We are confident that NATO membership of Montenegro will have a positive impact on the stability and security of the region. We must note that the recently published European Commission's Enlargement Strategy for the Western Balkans has special significance for Montenegro since it is mentioned in the context of the next EU member. Consequently, the European Union's approach to progress based on the individual merits of the candidate countries is confirmed," said Prime Minister Duško Marković.

The Prime Minister recalled that Montenegro is strongly committed to preserving good neighbourly relations and improving regional cooperation, pointing out the country's achievements in European integration and significant institutional and legal reforms that lead to concrete results in combating corruption and organised crime.

"I would like to take the opportunity to express satisfaction with the European Commission's report on Montenegro, which was presented on 17 April, showing the overall progress achieved by Montenegro in the process of EU accession, as well as accelerated economic growth in the previous year, as we were one of the fastest growing economies in Europe," Prime Minister Duško Marković said at the Summit.

Prime Minister concluded by voicing expectation that the upcoming EU - Western Balkans Summit in Sofia, as well as the London Summit, will be an opportunity to discuss more important issues for the region, connectivity, economic stability, security and political legacy, in particular focusing on European perspective of the Western Balkans and concrete regional infrastructure projects.

In addition to the Prime Minister of Montenegro and the host - Prime Minister of Slovenia Miroslav Cerar, the summit was also attended by prime ministers of Bulgaria, Croatia and Kosovo, Boyko Borisov, Andrej Plenković and Ramush Haradinaj, Chairman of the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina Denis Zvizdić, as well as senior officials from Albania, Greece, Moldova, Serbia, Romania and Turkey.

PUBLIC SERVICE OF THE GOVERNMENT OF MONTENEGRO