The President of Montenegro, Jakov Milatović, met today on the sidelines of the Three Seas Initiative Summit in Dubrovnik with the Prime Minister of the Republic of Croatia, Andrej Plenković.
The meeting was held at a time when there is a need for new dynamics in bilateral relations and strengthening of mutual trust, the President’s Office announced.
“The aim of the meeting was to intensify the political dialogue on the remaining open issues, as well as to continue Croatia’s support for Montenegro’s European path,” they state.
After the meeting, Milatović said that it is important to have talks at the highest level between Montenegro and Croatia, especially in this final phase of Montenegro’s European integration, and sent three important messages.
“The first message was sent to the governments of Montenegro and the Republic of Croatia, that it is necessary to further intensify political consultations in order to resolve the open issues between our two countries as soon as possible,” said Milatović, adding that it was pointed out at the meeting that open cooperation between Montenegro and Croatia is stronger than open issues and that this is the direction in which our relations should develop.
In the following, Milatović sent a message to political actors as well.
“The second message is addressed to political actors in Croatia and Montenegro. In the context of our bilateral relations and the European future of Montenegro, it is necessary to drop the ball and strengthen the messages of good neighborliness,” said Milatović, adding that bilateral relations are the responsibility of all political factors, not only the current governments.
He particularly emphasized the role of society in both countries in strengthening mutual understanding and trust.
“The third message is addressed to the citizens, intellectuals and cultural workers of Montenegro and Croatia, i.e. to all those who are already a bridge of cooperation between our societies”, said Milatović, emphasizing that it is they who should make an additional contribution to building a common European future.
Finally, Milatović said that Montenegro remains committed to good neighborly relations and European integration, and that it will continue to actively contribute to the dialogue and resolution of open issues, while at the same time strongly insisting on cooperation and common interests of the two countries.
