Greek Foreign Affairs Minister Nikos Dendias met on Tuesday with Montenegro’s Foreign Minister Ranko Krivokapić during his official visit in Podgorica.
Both countries, highlighted the Greek minister in joint press statements after the meeting, share the same vision for the region’s future and for Europe, “that revisionist rhetorics have no place in 21st century Europe,” nor do they in the Eastern Meditteranean, either.
Dendias welcomed his counterpart’s statement that joining the EU is Montenegro’s first strategic priority. He also congratulated Krivokapić on Montenegro’s full alignment with the EU’s Common Foreign & Security Policy decisions and policies, and on completing five years as a NATO member.
Greece, as the first country in the Balkans to join the EU, “is fully prepared to help, and to strongly support the accession process of the Western Balkans,” Dendias underlined ahead of the South-East European Cooperation Process (SEECP) summit to be held in Thessaloniki on Friday. Greece is handing over the rotating SEECP chairmanship to Podgorica on July 1.
Noting the improvement of economic relations between Greece and Montenegro, Dendias said in 2020-2021 they reached a value of 168 million euros, compared to 88 million euros in 2019. Collaboration could expand further into the sectors of energy, transport, research and infrastructure, he added.
SOURCE; ANA-MPA
