Podgorica, Washington, (MINA) - Negotiations between Montenegro and the United States on a possible bilateral agreement are ongoing, the US State Department stated.

“As announced in December, we are discussing with our Montenegrin colleagues a potential bilateral agreement that would strengthen investment, trade and security cooperation between the United States and Montenegro”, the State Department told to Radio Free Europe.

At the end of last year, the US Embassy in Podgorica announced that the United States and Montenegro were launching negotiations on a bilateral agreement to be conducted within the framework of the US-Montenegro Economic Dialogue in 2025.

The Embassy stated that the goal of these negotiations was to encourage greater investments by the US private sector in order to create new jobs in both countries, strengthen the role of Montenegro as a NATO ally and open new opportunities for prosperity of the USA, Montenegro and the wider region.

Last year Montenegro signed four bilateral agreements, one with France, one with Hungary and two with the United Arab Emirates.