Ibrahimović with Governor Mills: Two decades of partnership between Montenegro and Maine confirm strong relations with the USA

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Montenegro Ervin Ibrahimović met earlier today with Governor of the State of Maine Janet Mills, who is visiting Montenegro on the occasion of marking 20 years of partnership between the Armed Forces of Montenegro and the Maine National Guard.

DPM Ibrahimović stressed that the United States of America is Montenegro’s most important strategic partner and ally, pointing out that the US presence and engagement represent an important factor for peace, stability and security in the Western Balkans.

“Twenty years of partnership between Montenegro and Maine confirms how significant this cooperation is for the development of our defence capabilities and the institutional strengthening of the Armed Forces of Montenegro. In parallel, this year is of particular significance as we have been marking 20 years since the restoration of Montenegro’s independence and 250 years of independence of the United States of America“, Ibrahimović said.

The Deputy Prime Minister thanked the US and the Maine National Guard for their continuous support to Montenegro, particularly in the development of defence and cyber capabilities, as well as in the areas of education, training and exchange programmes.

Speaking about the European path, Ibrahimović stressed that Montenegro, with the strong support of its partners, wants to be a successful European story of the region, emphasising the importance of the US support for recent reforms.

Governor Mills noted that Montenegro is a success story in implementing reforms and voiced great respect for the results achieved, saying that Maine is willing to continue and expand its partnership with Montenegro.

The meeting also paid particular attention to opportunities for further improving cooperation in the areas of cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, training and exchange programmes.

DPM Ibrahimović also pointed to the importance of stronger economic ties with the USA and a greater presence of the US investors in Montenegro, particularly in strategic areas. In that regard, he highlighted the Adriatic-Ionian Corridor as one of the important opportunities for involving the US companies in development projects of regional significance.

Both sides voiced willingness to further develop the partnership between Montenegro and Maine, while nurturing cooperation that for two decades has represented an important part of the overall relations between Montenegro and the United States of America.