DPM Ivanović participates in EU enlargement panel at the Bled Strategic Forum

On the second day of the Bled Strategic Forum, Deputy Prime Minister for Foreign and European Affairs Filip Ivanović participated in a panel titled "Europe Whole and Free: A Renewed Commitment to European Security." Other panelists included Deputy Managing Director of the European External Action Service Marko Markovec, Deputy Prime Ministers for Foreign Affairs of Georgia and Armenia, Lasha Darsalia and Vahan Kostanyan, Foreign Ministers of Albania and North Macedonia, Igli Hasani and Timčo Mucunski, French Special Envoy for the Reconstruction of Ukraine Pierre Heilbronn, and First Deputy Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Parliament of Ukraine Hryhoriy Nemyria.

The panel primarily focused on the topic of EU enlargement, with panelists commending Montenegro's progress on its European path.

The French Special Envoy for Ukraine particularly praised Montenegro's achievement in receiving IBAR and highlighted the country's leadership in the EU enlargement process.

In his remarks, Deputy Prime Minister Ivanović expressed satisfaction with the results achieved by Montenegrin institutions since October 2023 in unblocking the judiciary and adopting European legislation, which led to receiving IBAR. He emphasised that this milestone is significant not only for Montenegro but also for the EU, candidate countries, and the enlargement process itself. Ivanović reiterated the goal of closing all negotiation chapters within the next three years.

Ivanović also noted that internal differences on certain issues do not jeopardize Montenegro's European path, citing the unanimous adoption of European laws in Parliament as an example.

He stressed that Montenegro now has independent and transparent institutions, particularly in the judiciary, and expressed confidence in their serious and impartial functioning.

He further stated that Montenegro is ready to discuss and resolve any potential open issues with its neighbours in the spirit of strengthening regional cooperation and maintaining good neighbourly relations.