Montenegro will be a strong supporter of Macedonia on its path toward the European Union and will advocate for an enlargement process based on merit, Montenegro’s Deputy Prime Minister for Foreign and European Affairs Filip Ivanović said during his visit to Skopje on Friday.
He expects his country to become a member of the Union by 2028, but emphasized that the European family will not be complete without all the countries of the region. The two Deputy Prime Ministers also discussed economic cooperation, transport connectivity, and the future of regional infrastructure projects.
Ivanović, who is on a two-day working visit to Macedonia, stated during a joint press conference with Macedonian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport Aleksandar Nikoloski that Montenegro is the frontrunner in the European integration process among the countries of the region.
He noted that his country’s potential accession would not mean distancing itself from its neighbors, but rather an opportunity to provide stronger support for their own European integration efforts.
“Membership does not mean leaving the region behind; rather, it entails supporting the other countries in the region in their own pursuit of membership. Montenegro advocates for a merit-based enlargement process, and the EU cannot be complete without all the countries of the region. Therefore, once Montenegro becomes a full member of the European Union, which will happen very soon, it will serve as a strong supporter of North Macedonia’s European integration process, with the shared aspiration that we join the Union together as soon as possible,” said Ivanović.
During the meeting, the two Deputy Prime Ministers assessed that political relations between Macedonia and Montenegro were excellent, with no outstanding bilateral issues. They agreed to organize a business forum next year involving companies from both countries, with the aim of fostering economic cooperation.
The meeting also confirmed the launch of a Tivat–Skopje flight route, scheduled to begin operations on May 1st. Discussions focused specifically on transport infrastructure and the potential for Macedonia to gain improved access to the Montenegrin port of Bar.
According to Nikoloski, the construction of the Skopje–Blace motorway will facilitate better connectivity with this port, complementing existing and planned transport links to Thessaloniki and Durrës.