Greece and Montenegro forge closer bi-lateral ties

Greece’s Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias welcomed his Montenegrin counterpart Srdjan Darmanovic in Athens on Tuesday in an effort to forge closer bilateral cooperation.

"Montenegro and Greece are two beacons of stability in the Balkans. We are two countries that ensure that we contribute to the stability and security of the region. From this point of view, the friendly state of Montenegro is a country that helps spread a political culture of consensus and compromises in our region," Kotzias said.

On his part Darmanovic thanked Greece for supporting his country’s membership in the NATO alliance and its membership application to joining the EU.

"Of all the countries of the Western Balkans, it is the country that is most advanced in the negotations and closest to joining the European Union," Kotzias added, stating Greece's intention to support Montenegro's European course.

Kotzias said the two countries, which already cooperate on the level of military schools, universities, research and cultural centres, intend to expand their cooperation to other areas, including between the two foreign ministries.

"We are both enemies of nationalism, which has filled our region with new clashes. We want to develop networks. We want to make use of the Trans-Adriatic Pipeline, to develop the Ionian Adriatic pipeline. We want to support the major highway of the Ionian road and its branches. To work together on educational and cultural issues and, of course, to fight organised crime.

"We agreed that EU enlargement should not lose the momentum that it had in the Western Balkans," he said and called for a heightened EU presence to encourage the Western Balkans in their accession course, ‘’ added Kotzias.