May 23, 2018 - Montenegrin Prime Minister, Dusko Markovic, opened the Forum 'To be Secure' which was held in Budva over the past few days. This event is a gathering that convenes every year with hundreds of officials, academics and experts from security and foreign policy. This is the eighth time that this event is being held and by this occasion, Prime Minister noted that Montenegro is on the irreversible and stable path of a future European Union member, something the country has planned for a long period. However, even though Montenegro is about to be a part of the European Union, Markovic says that the Balkans still has “unfinished business”, that it is burdened with many problems and that lots of improvements need to be done. He also took a chance to encourage good and positive trends of implementing reforms, while noting that interest in this part of the world has recently been renewed in Brussels and Washington.
“Montenegro is on the irreversible and stable path that has long been drawn without dilemma. But the Balkans region still has an "unfinished job". And the first discussion on this forum, I would say with full justice, is devoted to the Western Balkans and the gap between the problems left behind and the challenges that the modern era has brought. The changed geopolitical situation in which the Balkans once again found a collision of interests, illegal migration, terrorism, rising hybrid threats, and economic instability, are just some issues that burden the region. However, it is important to recognize positive trends, to encourage them and to further stimulate them. The EU and NATO accession processes have historically proven and continue to be the main drivers of the democratic and reform processes. We are witnessing that there are attempts to undermine the region's commitment to be part of the European and Euro-Atlantic family. It is therefore important to work on the preservation and full realization of this vision. Every alternative to these processes brings us back and threatens the democratic and civilizational exploits we have made," the Primer Minister said as he was addressing the participants of the Eighth Forum To Be Secure.
On the sidelines of this forum, the Montenegrin Prime Minister met with the Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary of the United States, Matthew Palmer. They discussed the European perspective of Montenegro and the Region, as well as the overall progress of Montenegro as a country in the reform process. These two officials assessed that Montenegro had retained leadership in the Western Balkans with its commitment to reforms, agreeing that the priority is further progress in the field of the rule of law, which implies, first of all, results in the fight against organized crime and the protection of the freedom of the media.
Also, Prime Minister Markovic and Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary Palmer exchanged views on the political situation and the process of the European Union integration for the Western Balkans region. They also reviewed results from the last week’s Western Balkans meeting in Sofia, which were assessed positively. The two officials emphasized the commitment of Montenegro and the United States of America to develop partner relations further.
