Accelerated EU integration guarantees security and prosperity of the region

Minister of Foreign Affairs Đorđe Radulović met with EU Special Representative for the Belgrade-Pristina Dialogue and Western Balkans Miroslav Lajčák on the sidelines of the meeting of NATO Foreign Ministers in Brussels. Accelerated integration does not mean looking for shortcuts, but expecting the EU to appreciate Montenegro's results in that process, said Minister Radulović.

Minister Radulović reiterated Montenegro's readiness, as a credible ally and the most advanced candidate country for EU membership, to continue to implement the Common Foreign and Security Policy of the European Union, including joining all the EU's restrictive measures against Russia.

Minister Radulović stressed that results in the field of the rule of law, the fight against organised crime and corruption are necessary in order to achieve the main foreign policy goal.

Lajčák pointed out that the EU appreciates Montenegro's obvious commitment to the implementation of the common foreign policy, adding that it is necessary to make a decision on the implementation of restrictive measures as soon as possible.

Having in mind the current situation in Ukraine, Radulović emphasised the importance of the accelerated EU integration of the Western Balkans as a guarantor of security and prosperity of the region, but also of the whole of Europe.

In that context, the two officials agreed that it is of great importance that all political actors in Montenegro engage in dialogue with the aim of reducing political tensions in order to implement reforms, which would lead the country to faster integration and membership in the EU.