PM Marković hosts Greek Ambassador Athanasiou: It is necessary to boost economic cooperation, speed up EU accession process

Podgorica, Montenegro (17 September 2019) -- Montenegro and Greece have established excellent political bilateral relations, and the solid economic cooperation needs to be further strengthened, Prime Minister of Montenegro Duško Marković and Ambassador of Greece Sotirios Athanasiou agreed at today's meeting.

"Greece has always clearly and directly supported our national priorities and I want to thank you for that. Your embassy was the first point of contact in the NATO accession process, and today, as a full member of the Alliance, together with Italy, you have been protecting our airspace," said Prime Minister Marković, who hosted a farewell visit by the Greek Ambassador.

The Prime Minister said that reputable Greek companies are present in Montenegro, but that there is room for more meaningful cooperation and new investments in various fields. The meeting highlighted that better air connectivity would give additional impetus to stronger economic cooperation. In that context, the Government's decision to make the best use of the airports was positively assessed, thus ensuring the improvement of infrastructure, as well as better air accessibility.

Both sides agreed that the process of integration of Montenegro and the entire Western Balkan region into the European Union is of great significance for further progress, peace and stability. Ambassador Athanasiou stressed that integration is equally important for the Balkans and for the EU, stressing it is important to speed up the negotiation process.