Blanar: Montenegro Taking Major Strides in EU Integration

Bratislava, 27 November (TASR) – Montenegro is making significant progress in terms of European integration, and Slovakia fully supports its goal of becoming a member of the Union by 2028, stated Slovak Foreign and European Affairs Minister Juraj Blanar (Smer-SD) at a press conference following his meeting with Montenegro's Deputy Prime Minister for Foreign and European Affairs Filip Ivanovic on Thursday. Blanar added that Slovakia will organise a meeting of the Friends of the Western Balkans group in the first half of next year. "I can report that Slovak society, based on a survey conducted by Eurobarometer, supports Montenegro's membership. More than 65 percent of the population supports Montenegro's accession, which is a clear signal that the policy that we've chosen for the Western Balkans, and in this case also for Montenegro, is perceived very positively," said the minister. Blanar noted that the two countries enjoy good political relations, which they intend to translate into further economic cooperation. "That's why I offered the deputy prime minister continued negotiations on the third session of the Joint Intergovernmental Commission for Economic Cooperation," he stated. According to Ivanovic, it's very important that Slovakia, having gone through the integration process itself, is sharing its experience with Montenegro. He confirmed that relations between the countries are at a good level and that a key development, in his view, may come in the area of infrastructure. He reiterated Montenegro's determination to become part of the European Union by 2028. mf/df