MFA: Eva Ponomarenkova Becomes Slovakia's New Ambassador to Montenegro

Bratislava, 29 November (TASR) - Eva Ponomarenkova, who has already represented Slovakia as ambassador to Australia and Slovenia, is the country's new ambassador to Montenegro, the Foreign Ministry's communications department has told TASR, adding that before leaving for Montenegro, she headed the Southeast European Countries and Turkey department at the ministry. Foreign Affairs Minister Juraj Blanar (Smer-SD) stated that it is in Slovakia's interests for Montenegro to remain an internally stable and reforming country that applies the values, principles, and standards of the European Union. "The Slovak Republic fully supports the accession of Montenegro to the EU, as well as other Western Balkan countries. We're actively initiating the acceleration of this process, which is extremely important for the security and stability of the entire region," added Slovakia's chief diplomat. The main priorities of the Slovak embassy in Podgorica also include developing economic diplomacy and mutual trade, which reached €43 million last year. "We place emphasis on promoting Slovakia's economic interests primarily through intensifying economic and investment cooperation and seeking new opportunities for implementing promising business plans," said the ambassador, adding that Slovakia is also interested in restoring seasonal air connections between Bratislava and Podgorica. Development cooperation, which Slovakia has been providing to Montenegro for a long time, is also a specific tool for strengthening bilateral relations. The goal remains to involve the business sector and support sustainable development projects via various tools such as micro-grants, financial contributions and twinning projects. am/df/mf