Minister of Foreign Affairs George Gerapetritis’ statements following his meeting with the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Montenegro, Ervin[...]

It is a great pleasure to visit Podgorica, where I had the exceptional honor to be received by the Prime Minister, Milojko Spajić and by the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Deputy Prime Minister, Ervin Ibrahimović.

Dear Ervin,

First and foremost, I would like to thank you for your kind words of appreciation, both for Greece and for me personally.

What we are doing for Montenegro is not a matter of obligation but from a genuine intention to further strengthening the ties between our two peoples and, above all, to facilitating Montenegro's path towards the European family - a path that we believe is both well-deserved and fully consistent with Montenegro's history. This will be of mutual benefit, to Montenegro, and to the European Union.

And I would especially like to thank you and commend you for everything you have done in advancing Montenegro's European path. You have undertaken a remarkable and selfless effort to help ensure that Montenegro becomes the next EU member state.

I am all the more pleased that my visit coincides with the 20th anniversary of Montenegro's independence, a milestone of great significance for the country and its people.

Greece and Montenegro are traditionally bound by close ties of friendship, mutual respect and shared historical references.

Our discussion today confirmed both the depth of our relation and the considerable potential for further expanding our cooperation across many sectors.

As countries in the same neighborhood and NATO allies, we share a common interest in promoting peace, security and prosperity in Southeastern Europe, as well as a common understanding of the threats and challenges facing our region and the world.

Dear Ervin, one of the main objectives of my visit today - as you have already mentioned - was precisely to reaffirm Greece's steadfast support for Montenegro's EU accession process and, at the same time, to convey, on behalf of the European Union, a message of encouragement and solidarity as Montenegro advances along this path.

But first allow me to congratulate you on organizing the EU-Western Balkans Summit, where Greece was represented by both the President of the Hellenic Republic and the Greek Prime Minister, precisely in order to underscore the importance we attach to Montenegro's, and more broadly the Western Balkans' path towards the European Union, the natural home to which they belong.

We are convinced that the European future of the Western Balkans will prove mutually beneficial, contributing substantially to stability and peace in a region that has historically experienced profound upheavals and has, on many occasions, been marked by bloodshed.

Greece welcomes the substantial progress Montenegro has made in advancing reforms and fulfilling the requirements of the accession process. I also commend Montenegro, and the Minister himself, on the full alignment achieved with the EU's Common Foreign and Security Policy. Such a degree of alignment is rare and clearly demonstrates how closely our views converge on the international security architecture. This is a notable achievement for Montenegro and the Minister.

Montenegro's European perspective is taking a clear shape: The initiation of drafting on Montenegro's Accession Treaty is not just a mere benchmark. It acknowledges, on the part of the European Union, the great progress achieved to date.

Montenegro has established itself as the leading candidate in the Western Balkans accession process. We hope that in the following period it will accelerate the pace of transition from the negotiation phase to the actual accession.

Greece will continue to provide technical expertise in areas of mutual interest, especially in reform efforts and the integration of the European acquis, into Montenegro's national legal framework.

Ever since 2003 and the Thessaloniki agenda, Greece has been at the forefront of initiatives to promote the Western Balkans' accession to the European Union, on the basis of the principles of conditionality and own merits, without abstaining, of course, from the obligation of all interested parties to respect the principles of the rule of law and International Law.

In this context, the signing of the Delphi Declaration last April underscores in the clearest possible terms that, in view of Greece's forthcoming presidency of the Council of the European Union in the second half of 2027, we are committed to keeping the region's European integration high on our agenda and advocate for tangible results.

It is a major objective of ours to be able, during our Presidency, to welcome Montenegro as the next member state of the European Union.

Dear Minister, dear Ervin,

Today, we also had the opportunity to discuss the positive momentum of our bilateral relations and the further strengthening of our already robust economic cooperation in the areas of trade, tourism, environmental technology, academic exchange, and culture.

We aspire to cooperate with Montenegro to promote regional interconnectivity in the sectors of energy, infrastructure, ports and transport.

As regards the latter, I would like to highlight the strategic importance of the Adriatic-Ionian Highway, which will strengthen trade and tourism and enhance people-to-people ties, fostering new opportunities for business-to-business links.

In this regard, I would particularly like to highlight our agreement to promote a Greek business delegation to Podgorica in the near future. The mission, which will travel from Athens, will explore opportunities for further investment projects and business partnerships between our two countries.

The steadily growing flow of visitors between Greece and Montenegro - a form of people-to-people diplomacy, further strengthened by seasonal direct air connections - makes a significant contribution to fostering mutual understanding and bringing the peoples of our two countries even closer together. It is our aspiration to further expand these connections, thereby facilitating the movement of both passengers and goods to an even greater extent.

Dear Ervin,

I would like to sincerely thank you for your generous hospitality, as well as for the constructive meeting we held today, which reaffirmed the excellent relations between our two countries. Let me assure you that Greece will continue to stand by Montenegro's side, both bilaterally and, above all, in support of Montenegro's accession to the European Union. We are convinced that Montenegro's accession will not only transform the country's future, but will also make a decisive contribution to the renewal and strengthening of the European Union itself.

Thank you.

June 19, 2026