Press release: Prime Minister Zeljko Sturanovic meets with Special Coordinator of the Stability Pact for South Eastern Europe Erhard Busek

Prime Minister Zeljko Sturanovic met in Podgorica today with Special Coordinator of the Stability Pact for South Eastern Europe Erhard Busek.

Having expressed his satisfaction with the meeting, Prime Minister Sturanovic thanked Mr Busek for the considerable effort the Stability Pact had made in promoting Montenegros institutions, projects and capacities, as well as for his personal contribution and role in this process. The Prime Minister pointed out that Montenegro was committed to reinforcing all aspects of good neighborly relations and regional cooperation, promoting constructive dialogue and exchanging views and ideas, in order to develop its institutional capacity and carry out an overall reform of the society, aware that this was a prerequisite for its foreign policy priority European and Euro-Atlantic integration. In this context, Montenegro is taking an active part in a series of initiatives within the Stability Pact for South Eastern Europe. The Prime Minister reiterated the readiness to promote partnership and cooperation and confirmed the governments commitment to make its full contribution to the goals of the new cooperation mechanism within the SEE the Regional Cooperation Council. He expressed the readiness to appoint a Montenegrin representative to the Councils Secretariat in order to maintain communication and continue Montenegros active participation in all significant aspects of regional cooperation.

Mr Busek thanked Montenegro for its constructive contribution to the Stability Pacts initiatives and goals. He congratulated Montenegro on its stability and commended the pace of its internal development and international integration. It was concluded that the foundation of the Regional Cooperation Council, in February 2008, would enable successful and constructive cooperation aimed at continuing the Stability Pacts activities and accomplishments.

Reference was also made to a number of other issues of common interest and concrete forms of cooperation, such as organizing the Vienna Economic Forum, taking place on 14 and 15 April 2008 in Montenegro and focusing on tourism and foreign investment.