FMs Darmanović, Haavisto: EU needs Western Balkan region

Podgorica, Montenegro (1 October 2019) -- The integration of the Western Balkans into the EU will contribute to the wholeness of Europe, and Montenegro is ready to contribute fully to that end. The EU needs the Western Balkan region, Minister of Foreign Affairs Sđjan Darmanović and his Finnish counterpart Pekka Haavisto pointed out at today's meeting in Podgorica.

The head of the Montenegrin diplomacy said that Montenegro and Finland have developed extremely good relations, adding that the official Helsinki strongly supports the region's EU bid.

"The presence of the EU in the Western Balkans is crucial, and the accession of Montenegro to the EU is a logical sequence of the integration process, after having achieved the full membership of NATO," Minister Darmanović noted.

Minister Haavisto highlighted that Finland will continue to promote the importance of the integration of Montenegro and the region in the EU through its Presidency of the Council of the EU and in other fields.

Both sides emphasised the importance of joining Montenegro to the European Centre of Excellence for Countering Hybrid Threats, based in Helsinki, in May this year, which is essential for working together towards a more stable and secure environment.

FMs Darmanović and Haavisto commended the university cooperation, but also the cooperation in the fields of energy and tourism, which had been strengthened by the introduction of charter flights from Helsinki to Tivat.