President Milanović: Montenegro is moving towards the European Union and it is welcome

“The greatest asset you have is your own state. Montenegro has achieved statehood, and everything else consists of smaller or larger developments that do not stand in the way of Montenegro becoming a successful, well-governed, and relatively prosperous country,” the President of the Republic of Croatia Zoran Milanović said today at the central event of the Montenegrin community in Croatia, the “Lučindanski susreti u Zagrebu” [St. Luke’s Day Gatherings in Zagreb]. He attended the event alongside the President of Montenegro Jakov Milatović, who was in Croatia on a working visit.

“Montenegro is a candidate for European Union membership. It is moving towards the EU, and may it join. As far as I am concerned, it is more than welcome,” President Milanović added. He pointed out that Montenegro’s progress towards EU membership is taking place at a time when the EU itself aspires to become, as he put it, a superstate. “In my firm conviction and based on my observations, the European Union is exceeding the limits of what its structure can sustain. It should stick to the purposes for which it was primarily conceived and established: free trade, freedom of movement, and a certain degree of harmonisation. But a superstate? No,” President Milanović said.

Speaking further about Montenegro’s past and its path to independence, the President of the Republic remarked: “It was neither easy nor straightforward. The referendum twenty years ago gave rise to divisions within Montenegrin society that were not easy to heal or put behind it. These are complex historical processes, yet both here in Croatia and elsewhere, they have often been viewed in rather simplistic terms.”

“Twenty years ago, Montenegro finally became an independent state, which its citizens endorsed in a referendum, and today it functions as a civic state. Montenegro is now a country of several nations and faiths that coexist in relative harmony, given the circumstances. I hope they continue to do so, because after twenty years of independence, the country now has a path of its own above all. You have a head of your own,” President Milanović said, concluding his address with a verse by Petar Petrović Njegoš: “Keep your head on your shoulders; you can always get yourself another rifle.”

In his address, the President of Montenegro Jakov Milatović said that Montenegro was resolutely continuing along its European path and that Croatia, “as our neighbouring country and a member of the European Union, holds a special place in this process.” “It is our shared responsibility to build good-neighbourly relations, foster open dialogue, overcome current challenges, and strengthen mutual trust. A shared European future entails not only political and economic cooperation but also respect for diversity, a sense of responsibility, and a willingness to leave future generations a legacy of peace, stability, and friendship,” the President of Montenegro said.

He thanked the organisers of the “Lučindanski susreti,” the “Montenegro” Society of Montenegrins and Friends of Montenegro in Zagreb, for preserving traditions and bringing generations together. “As President of Montenegro, I want you to know that you, as members of the Montenegrin community in Croatia, represent an important part of our national and cultural identity. We want Montenegro to be a country you are always happy to return to, where you feel at home, and with which you build new ties through culture, education, and the economy,” the President of Montenegro told the Montenegrin community in Croatia, concluding his address with the words: “Thank you for preserving the Montenegrin name in Croatia and for building bridges of friendship between our two countries through your work.”

In addition to the two Presidents, the event was also addressed by Alija Šukurica, President of the “Montenegro” Society of Montenegrins and Friends of Montenegro in Zagreb; Luka Korlaet, Deputy Mayor of Zagreb, representing the Mayor; Vladimir Jokić, Mayor of Kotor; Mirsad Azemović, Montenegro’s Minister for Diaspora Affairs; and Zoran Gregurović, a Member of the Croatian Parliament, representing the Speaker of the Croatian Parliament.

President Milanović was accompanied by Melita Mulić, Adviser to the President of the Republic for Human Rights and Civil Society, and Tomislav Paškvalin, Commissioner of the President of the Republic for Sports.

PHOTO: Office of the President of the Republic of Croatia / Marko Beljan