Podgorica, (MINA) – During its presidency of the Council of the EU, Cyprus will provide full support to Montenegro in closing negotiation chapters in which the final benchmarks have been met and will ensure the start of drafting the Accession Treaty.

This was announced during the working visit of Minister of European Affairs Maida Gorcevic to Nicosia.

According to the press release by the Ministry of European Affairs (MEA), during her visit to Nicosia, Gorcvic met with European Affairs Deputy Minister Marilena Raouna, and Chair of the Foreign and European Affairs Committee in the Parliament of Cyprus, Harris Georgiades.

Gorcevic thanked the Cypriot presidency for organizing the Intergovernmental Conference in January at which Montenegro closed Chapter 32 – Financial control.

“I am very pleased to announce that an ad hoc working party will soon be formed to draft the Accession Agreement with Montenegro. This is a clear signal that the EU and the member states recognize Montenegro’s efforts and commitment and believe that we can meet all requirements to become the next member in time”, Gorcevic said.

She said that Montenegro, as a reliable EU partner, is determined to continue delivering credible results and to close all negotiation chapters by the end of 2026, with the aim of becoming the next EU member state in 2028.

Raouna welcomed the results achieved by Montenegro on its European path, noting that they reaffirm the country’s clear strategic orientation towards EU membership.

According to her, EU enlargement is one of the key priorities of the Cypriot presidency and Montenegro represents a successful example of that policy.

The Ministry stated that Georgiades welcomed the reform momentum achieved by Montenegro which, as he emphasized, leads to essential transformation and progress and brings the country closer to the European quality of life.

He stressed that Cyprus supports the merit based enlargement and expressed hope that Montenegro will fulfill all the requirements necessary to become the next EU member.