Podgorica, (MINA) – Montenegro is willing and ready to assume in the near future the responsibilities of EU membership, Prime Minister Dusko Markovic stated following his meeting with Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz.
Markovic told a press conference in Budva on Thursday that the visit by Chancellor Kurz confirms good bilateral relations, but also the attention of Austria as EU Presidency towards Montenegro.
He thanked Austria for keeping the issue of enlargement and the Western Balkans high on its agenda in parallel with many serious issues that are on the EU Council’s agenda.
“Thanks to the EU integration process and the Berlin Process, the economic and European perspective of the region is better than ever before in the past 30 years,” Markovic said.
“Montenegro remains committed to further progress in the integration process, above all in terms of opening the two remaining chapters, and we hope to open Chapter 27 during the Austrian Presidency of the EU Council,” Markovic said.
He stressed that the fulfilment of interim benchmarks and getting closing benchmarks for chapters 23 and 24 is important for Montenegro, as is the process of closing of negotiation chapters.
According to him, Montenegro’s continued progress in the rule of law, economic growth and macroeconomic stability prove that the country is willing and ready to assume in the near future the responsibilities of EU membership.
“We would like to assure the EU Member States that we will be a ready member, which will not bring problems, but the readiness to fight together with other for the values of the Union,” Markovic stressed.
Chancellor Kurz reiterated that Montenegro and Austria have strong and good bilateral relations.
“We have strong economic, political and cultural ties and I am happy to see Montenegro as a strong partner to Austria,” Kurz said.
According to him, Austria strongly supports Montenegro and other countries of the region on their EU path.
“The EU will only be complete when the countries of the Western Balkans become part of it,” the Chancellor stressed.
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