Radulović and Zacarias: Enlargement policy is a common goal

Minister of Foreign Affairs, Đorđe Radulović, talked today online with the State Secretary for European Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Portuguese Republic, Ana Paula Zacarias.

Congratulating Portugal on its presidency of the EU Council, Minister Radulović pointed out that full membership in the Union is a clear goal and strategic priority of Montenegro. In that context, he stated that our country highly values the unequivocal support of the EU to the European perspective of the Western Balkans.

"We hope that the continuity of the enlargement policy will be maintained during Portuguese presidency," said Minister Radulović. He expressed satisfaction with the fact that Montenegro has completed the process of opening chapters, and stressed that in the upcoming period the focus will be on solving challenges in Chapters 23 and 24.

"We are continuously working to meet 83 provisional benchmarks in Chapters 23 and 24, as well as to achieve internal readiness to temporarily close one set of chapters in the near future. In that sense, the Government will have zero tolerance for corruption, because its main principle is "citizens above all", Radulović emphasized.

State Secretary for European Affairs Zacarias pointed out that Chapters 23 and 24 are the core of the process, and that political dialogue on the rule of law should be the topic of a planned intergovernmental conference in June. "In the debate within the EU, we will define ways to help candidate countries in their efforts to address challenges in areas such as the fight against corruption and organized crime," Zacarias stressed.

The meeting was the opportunity to discuss about participation of Montenegro and other candidate countries in the Conference on the Future of Europe. Minister Radulović reminded that, having in mind the quality of the reforms, from the beginning Montenegro has been negotiating according to the strictest criteria. During the meeting, it was also pointed out that our country consistently follows the foreign and security policy of the EU, while as the country that has advanced the most in the negotiation process, it is always ready to help its neighbors to achieve goals of the European agenda.