PM Marković takes part in Europa Forum Wachau conference: Western Balkans belongs to Europe, EU enlargement policy is security policy for all

Prime Minister Duško Marković said at today's conference Europa Forum Wachau in Austria that the Balkans is now in a better position than 20 years ago, but that challenges still exist, adding that the European enlargement policy is the best guarantee of greater security of the region and Europe as a whole.

"We do not have the level of security and safety we want, and that is why we are safer together as states and as individuals. The fact that the Balkans has been in a continued state of uncertainty and instability resulted in the destruction of our own resources. That is why today the Western Balkans is so far behind the developed Europe," said Prime Minister Markovic at a conference on security challenges and the fight against illegal migration with a focus on the Western Balkans, where he was taking part with prime ministers of Croatia and Serbia, Andrej Plenković and Ana Brnabić.

Opening the forum, Austrian Federal Chancellor Sebastian Kurz reiterated, inter alia, that his country is determined to remain focused on the Western Balkan region.

Addressing the conference’s participants, Prime Minister Marković said that the Western Balkans wants to be part of Europe and to reach the European values in order to turn its uncontested resources into good for the citizens.

"We want to belong to Europe. It is the Europe we need, it the Europe of values that will allow us to make the best use of our resources and improve our lives," he underlined.

The Prime Minister added that stability and security are of key importance for the countries of the Western Balkans and Europe as a whole.

"We need money for that. We need to strengthen our police forces. We must have money for other things. Therefore, we welcome the increase in the budget for migration and security in the new Strategy for the Western Balkans. Montenegro will do everything to solve problems and tackle security challeges, as it is important for our future and for the Europe we want to belong to. Montenegro will build partnerships within the region, with its neighbours," the Prime Minister underscored.

Speaking about the wave of migrants, Prime Minister Marković said that Montenegro is working well with Fronteks, that, in accordance with the readmission agreements, it welcomes back all the migrants who have entered Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia from our county, adding that Montenegro wants to establish such a partnership with Albania as well.

Recalling that the interior ministers of Montenegro and Albania agreed yesterday on a joint border control, Prime Minister Marković said that Montenegro is undertaking all the necessary measures to successfully face the problem of mass migration.

Responding to a participant’s question, the Prime Minister said that Montenegro for now does not plan to place the barbed wire on the border.

PM Marković stressed that the EU's enlargement policy is the best guarantee of security for both our region and Europe as a whole.

“Western Balkans belongs to Europe. Enlargement policy is a policy of security for all," the Prime Minister of Montenegro Duško Marković concluded.

GOVERNMENT RELATIONS SERVICE WITH THE PUBLIC GOVERNMENT OF MONTENEGRO