First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Serbia Ivica Dacic began his official visit to Montenegro by meeting with Minister of Foreign Affairs Srdjan Darmanovic.

The Ministers underlined that, in the open and friendly talks, they exchanged views on bilateral issues of common interest as well as on current affairs at regional and international levels.

"Our countries and peoples are connected by fraternal, friendly ties. It is very important that we maintain the high level of our communication and meetings. In the past five years we have made a major step forward in our relations, important high-level bilateral visits were realized and we will continue with this practice", said the Head of Serbian diplomacy after the meeting.

In the talks, the two officials expressed readiness for further cooperation in all areas of common interest, primarily in the fields of economy, transport, infrastructure, energy and tourism.

The interlocutors noted a high level of agreement on the direction in which the region should go – namely the European integration, infrastructure connectivity, and the development of economies, for which the precondition is regional stability, on which everyone should work together.

"I would like to note as positive the position of European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker and the announcement that our two countries will become EU Members States in the near future, and that Serbia and Montenegro are leaders on the European path.

We support each other on the European path, and we support in this regard other countries of the region, but we believe that everyone should progress according to their level of fulfilment of obligations in that process.
Serbia has an interest and is deeply devoted to resolving problems in the region in a peaceful way and through dialogue.

Also, Serbia is interested for the rights of its people living in Montenegro, however, this does not imply our interference in the internal affairs of Montenegro. What we support is discussing topics related to the issues of language, cultural identity, script, representation of Serbs in the state administration, but in a way that has nothing to do with the issue of the internal organization of Montenegro.

I expect an official visit of my colleague Darmanovic to Belgrade as well as the visit of Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic to Montenegro.

To sum up, I expect our relations to be promoted and joint projects carried out, which will all make a contribution towards an improved quality of life and the standard of living of all our citizens", concluded Minister Dacic after the meeting in Podgorica.