accession process. Likewise, I believe that there is no better country for reviving the EU enlargement policy than Montenegro, a Mediterranean country with a conciliatory character, a population that would not cause negative effects on the EU itself and that is a positive example in many aspects. In terms of the Open Balkans initiative, the Government and I, as the Prime Minister, gave a task to the Ministry of European Affairs to create a working group that will draft an analysis that will assess the positive and negative effects of the Open Balkans initiative on Montenegro. I think that the initiative can bring a lot of positive effects that the Western Balkans need like fewer borders, better economic cooperation and improved neighbourly relations. I also believe that this is in line with the Berlin Process and can only benefit the Western Balkans' integration into the EU. On 29th June, following the invitation of Prime Minister Ana Brnabić, you had your first official visit to Serbia since you became the Prime Minister of Montenegro. What did you discuss with the Serbian officials and is this meeting the first step towards the normalization and progress of relations between our two countries?
A few days ago, the Government adopted the proposal regarding a harmonized text of the Basic Agreement between Montenegro and the Serbian Orthodox Church. We can say that the Agreement is fully in line with our state's Constitution and laws and that it provides comprehensive protection
I PROMOTE THE POLICY OF PEACE, COEXISTENCE AND COOPERATION IN THE WESTERN BALKANS. I KNOW THIS IS A SISYPHEAN TASK, BUT YOU HAVE TO START SOMEWHERE of Montenegro's national interests, while, at the same time, giving the SOC the same rights and obligations that all other religious communities have in our country. We are closing a topic that has been a burden on our society for a decade and we are looking toward the future and topics concerning the development of Montenegro and the region. You are often labelled as an Albanian who has a more favourable approach to Serbia than many Montenegrins. You want to prove that cooperation between Serbs and Albanians is possible. In the light of the dialogue, will the policy of the Montenegrin government towards Kosovo and Metohija remain the same?
In Davos, and recently in Ukraine, you met your Albanian counterpart, Edi Rama. Could you tell us something about the relations between Montenegro and Albania? Relations between the two countries are traditionally excellent and have improved a lot in the past period. Just like with Serbia, we have been developing our cooperation on mutual trust and stronger economic and infrastructural connections. During our meeting in Ohrid, at the summit of the Open Balkans initiative, we presented a joint project for the construction of a bridge over the Bojana River that will reduce the distance between Ulcinj and Velipojë from the current 73km to just 1km. This is our vision - bridges that connect and make borders invisible. Almost two years ago, the Montenegrin government changed when the opposition defeated the Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS). In your speech back then you said that DPS voters were not enemies. What kind of relations do you have with the still current President of Montenegro, Milo Djukanović? To what extent is it possible to implement the government's plans while having a president from another party? The government I helm, the political entity I represent and I personally have no enemies of that kind. We can be political rivals, but not enemies. That’s a narrative from an ugly past. We have a differ-
Focus
I choose not to dwell on almost daily labelling of myself coming from almost every national group. I promote the policy of peace, coexistence and
cooperation in the Western Balkans. I know this is a Sisyphean task, but you have to start somewhere. I am not interested in the national, religious or political affiliations of people. We are people first of all, and only then Montenegrins, Serbs, Albanians, Bosniaks... Accordingly, I conduct the state’s policies, talk to people and look for the best solutions to get out of difficult situations. Montenegro completely follows the EU’s policy concerning the Republic of Kosovo, with whom we have good cooperation on several grounds and with whom we will further improve relations and work on much better infrastructural connectivity.
MONTENEGRO 2022
We discussed the necessity of normalizing relations between the two brotherly states and intensifying economic cooperation in several aspects. There is definitely been progress in relations and we will soon appoint new ambassadors and establish payment transactions. A large segment of all the talks in Serbia concerned the upcoming economic crisis this autumn and the strategy of how the region and the two countries can best deal with it, as well as infrastructural connectivity. These are the topics on which we should base our cooperation in the future. I believe that this will initially imply a departure from the politics of hatred and division that characterized the region in the past. Cooperation in agriculture, environmental protection and the IT sector is also something on which our collaboration will develop in the future.
Negotiations on the Basic Agreement, on the back of which Montenegro should resolve the property-related and legal issues with the Serbian Orthodox Church (SOC), have been ongoing for ten years. Are we going to see the resolution of this decades-old issue soon?
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