Ibrahimović meets with S3 Foreign Ministers: Montenegro has full support in the final stage of its European Path

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Ervin Ibrahimović hosted in Podgorica today the foreign ministers of the Slavkov Format countries: Federal Minister for European and International Affairs of the Republic of Austria Beate Meinl-Reisinger, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic Petr Macinka, and Minister of Foreign and European Affairs of the Slovak Republic Juraj Blanár.

The Slavkov Format is an informal form of intergovernmental cooperation between Austria, the Czech Republic and Slovakia, established to strengthen good-neighbourly relations and jointly represent their interests within the European Union.

The meeting focused on issues of importance for Montenegro, the Western Balkans region and the wider European space, with a focus on European integration, regional and security issues, hybrid threats and foreign information manipulation and interference (FIMI), as well as energy and transport connectivity.

Ibrahimović noted that the Berlin Process had once again sent a clear message about the importance of the Western Balkans for the European continent and the need for the region to become part of the European Union.

He reiterated Montenegro’s principled position that bilateral issues should be resolved through bilateral channels, while the accession process should remain grounded in European rules, the EU acquis, implemented reforms and the individual results of candidate countries.

Minister Meinl-Reisinger said that Austria, together with the Czech Republic and Slovakia, continuously supports Montenegro on its European path and in implementing reforms, noting that Montenegro demonstrates that clearly defined goals can be achieved through dedicated work and meeting the required criteria.

She also welcomed Montenegro’s full alignment with the European Union’s visa policy, stressing the importance of alignment with European standards and the European Union’s Common Foreign and Security Policy.

Czech Foreign Minister Petr Macinka said that the Czech Republic strongly supports Montenegro’s European perspective and expressed the country’s position that it would advocate exclusively for Montenegro’s full membership in the European Union.

Slovak Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Juraj Blanár stressed that Montenegro is a frontrunner in European integration in the region and that its progress sends an important message to every citizen of the Western Balkans that membership in the European Union is possible.

The Foreign Ministers of Austria, the Czech Republic and Slovakia delivered a joint message of strong support for Montenegro to continue its European path towards full membership in the European Union as a frontrunner in the enlargement process, based on results achieved and the principle of merit.

The interlocutors also exchanged views on the regional situation and the growing importance of the Western Balkans for European security, noting that the stability of the region and its European perspective are closely interconnected.

The meeting also addressed energy, infrastructure and transport connectivity, particularly in light of a new phase of infrastructure investment in Montenegro and ways to strengthen the region’s connectivity with European transport and energy corridors.

Minister Ibrahimović assessed that the discussions over the two days had been open and substantive, and that there was a shared understanding that European integration, security and the economic connectivity of the Western Balkans are not separate issues, but part of the same European agenda.