site.btaPM Borissov Hopes to See Montenegro in NATO by Year's End

PM Borissov Hopes to See Montenegro in NATO by  Year's End

Sofia, March 27 (BTA) - Emerging from talks with Prime Minister
Milo Djukanovic of Montenegro who is paying an official visit to
Sofia on Friday, Prime Minister Boyko Borissov voiced a hope
that with the support of Bulgaria and of the partners,
Montenegro will become a member of NATO at the end of 2015.
"This is extremely important for the region because peace on the
Balkans will come when we are all members of the EU and NATO,"
Borissov said. He said he was certain that Montenegro is ready
for membership in NATO and should be supported in its bid to
join the Alliance.

Borissov said that Friday's talks discussed matters of joint
interest, including questions in the area of culture, tourism,
energy and infrastructure.

Djukanovic thanked his host for the friendly and encouraging
words. The Montenegrin PM noted the grave crisis in the Balkans
of 15-20 years ago, accompanied by a war that caused huge
losses. This is a region which nears the stage of recovery and
gets closer to the system of European and Euro-Atlantic values,
he said. "We are certain that the region needs stability thanks
to which attaining economic and democratic development will be
easier," Djukanovic said.

The guest noted the importance of admitting Montenegro in NATO
by the end of 2015. As to the country's accession to the EU,
Djukanovic said that Montenegro meets the conditions set by the
EU and expects an invitation for membership. He said Montenegro
has opened 16 negotiation chapters and that 19 remain.

The two PMs established that there are no outstanding issues
between Bulgaria and Montenegro and that a tradition of
excellent cooperation exists between the two.

The guest said that much attention is being paid to cooperation
in all spheres, along with the political dialogue. "We are ready
to sign agreements on avoidance of double taxation and
promotion of investment," Djukanovic said. Friday's talks also
discussed concrete questions, such as having an air service
between Sofia and Podgorica. Djukanovic said much work awaits
his country in the area of the legal and contractual framework.

Answering a reporter's question, Borissov said that at the
moment Montenegro was "taking electricity" from Bulgaria. He
said Montenegro is laying a submarine cable with Italy and will
become "a very interesting partner" for the Bulgarian energy.
Commenting the possibility of direct air service between the two
countries' capitals, Borissov said the problem is in the
insufficient traffic and the absence of economic profit from a
direct line, but said that other opportunities will be
considered.

Asked about Montenegro's attitude to the sanctions against
Russia, Djukanovic said that his country has the obligation to
follow the European policy, including the policy in the area of
security. "We joined the EU's policy which also includes
sanctions against Russia but nevertheless we always stress that
as a country which underwent a policy of sanctions in the 1990s,
we know that this does not solve the problem," Djukanovic said.
"For Montenegro there does not exist a dilemma; we respect the
centennial tradition in the relations with Russia but we do not
have a dilemma either for the choice for our future - the
European and Euro-Atlantic integration," the Montenegrin PM
said.

An agreement on cooperation in the area of culture was signed in
the presence of the two countries' PMs.