The western Balkans are a “region of vital importance for the EU and for Italy and we are making every effort to foster Montenegro’s European integration process”. The point was underscored by Foreign Minister Giulio Terzi at the close of a meeting at the Farnesina with his Montenegrin colleague Nebojsa Kaluderovic, who is making his first official visit abroad.
Speeding up the Balkans’ integration with Europe and NATO
During their meeting, reported Terzi, both sides “discussed the growing political potential of the countries of the region” and the outlook for “speeding up the Balkans’ integration with Europe and NATO”. Italy and Montenegro have “very close bilateral relations that have developed greatly in recent months at the political, economic and cultural levels, with possibilities for collaboration in the energy, infrastructure and transport sectors, and for small and medium-sized enterprises”.
Minister Kaluderovic thanked Terzi and the Italian Government for their support thus far for Montenegro’s pathway to integration with Europe and NATO. He underscored that “the region’s future lies within the EU”.