Foreign Minister N. Kotzias meets with Montenegrin Foreign Minister Srdjan Darmanović (Brussels, 7 December 2016)

Within the framework of the proceedings of the Meeting of NATO Ministers of Foreign Affairs (Brussels, 6-7 December 2016), Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias today met with his Montenegrin counterpart, Srdjan Darmanović.

During the meeting, the Montenegrin Foreign Minister expressed gratitude for Greece’s support for his country’s accession to the North Atlantic Alliance and the European Union, highlighting that Montenegro’s Euroatlantic course has multiple benefits for regional stability.

Mr. Kotzias announced that the Hellenic Parliament will be ratifying Montenegro’s Protocol of Accession to NATO within January 2017, expressing Greece’s willingness to provide know-how on European issues -- a proposal that was immediately accepted. Also underscored by Foreign Minister Kotzias was the potential for enriching bilateral relations, particularly through economic, military, cultural and academic cooperation between the two sides.

Mr. Kotzias also set out his vision for the development of cooperation networks aimed at improving coordination among the Balkan countries. This endeavour, he stressed, will initially contribute to the consolidation of regional stability and, in the future, is expected to facilitate communication among the Balkan states within the EU framework.

December 7, 2016