Prime Minister and Coordinator of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Dritan Abazović met Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Sweden Tobias Billström on April 19.
Abazović expressed his satisfaction with the visit, pointing out that the two countries cherish friendly relations.
”We are grateful to our friends for all the efforts they are making to advance our European perspective. We believe that, despite the challenges, we are on the right track,” Abazović said.
He also remainded that on 28 July 2022 Montenegro ratified the Protocols on the accession of Sweden and Finland to NATO and expressed expectation that Sweden will soon join the Alliance.
Foreign Minister Billström pointed out that Sweden is following the situation in Montenegro with special attention, emphasising the importance that the entire Western Balkans region has for the European Union. After Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, it became clear that the region is particularly important for the stability and prosperity of Europe. He stressed that Sweden supports Montenegro on its European path, and pointed to the importance of key reforms in the field of the rule of law, as the basis of the overall European integration. Furthermore, he thanked for the support that Montenegro showed during the ratification of Sweden’s accession protocol to NATO.
The two officials also discussed models for strengthening economic cooperation, primarily through improving the visibility of Montenegro as a tourist and investment destination, where the focus should be placed on the establishment of regular air routes between Podgorica and Stockholm, which will contribute to the improvement of tourism in both countries.
The Kingdom of Sweden holds the presidency of the Council of the European Union from 1 January to 1 July 2023, when the Kingdom of Spain will take over the presidency.
