Montenegrin Foreign Minister Djordje Radulovic said that the European Union considers the countries of the Western Balkans to be its part, and Montenegro has every chance of closing major chapters on accession negotiations.
“I am sure that the EU has good intentions and its officials have repeatedly stressed that they see the Western Balkans as their integral part. This is evidenced by the fact that they have allocated XNUMX billion euros for infrastructure projects in the region, ”said Radulovic.
When asked if Montenegro can join the EU by 2025 or 2026, he replied that all chapters have been opened over the past eight years.
“The European Commission in its reports gives us a friendly proposal and points out where we are wrong. In fact, the European Union is showing us a roadmap - what needs to be done to make Montenegro a member as soon as possible. Several reports say that there are problems with the rule of law and anti-corruption, so the new government is more than ready to make progress in this area and to make progress in chapters 23 and 24 so that we can gradually close the other chapters. Montenegro has adopted a new methodology, although it has been negotiating the old one for eight years, to show that EU membership is our ultimate foreign policy goal. I know that there have been some critical remarks that it is unfair to change the rules of the game during negotiations and the like, but let's give a chance to the new methodology and see how it works in practice, ”the minister said.
