site.btaMontenegro's Euro-Atlantic Integration, Social Cooperation Dominate Visit of Montenegrin Foreign Minister Luksic

Montenegro's Euro-Atlantic Integration, Social Cooperation Dominate Visit of  Montenegrin Foreign Minister Luksic

Sofia, February 1 (BTA) - Bulgarian Foreign Minister Daniel Mitov reaffirmed Bulgaria's support for Montenegro's Euro-Atlantic integration during a joint news briefing Monday with visiting Montenegrin Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration Igor Luksic. Mitov added that Montenegro is an important partner of Bulgaria in Southeastern Europe and its future ally in NATO and the EU.

Within the framework of the visit, Bulgaria and Montenegro signed an agreement on social security and an administrative agreement on its implementation. The document was signed by Luksic, and the Bulgarian ministers of Health and of Labour, Peter Moskov and Ivailo Kalfin. In Sofia Luksic also met with National Assembly Chair Tsetska Tsacheva.

Mitov and Luksic hailed the excellent regional cooperation and the two countries' participation in formats such as the South-East European Cooperation Process and the Black Sea Economic Cooperation.

"Bulgaria is ready to continue the excellent cooperation with Montenegro in the field of European integration which was established with the beginning of negotiations in 2012," said Mitov. He commended work on a new cooperation memorandum on EU and Euro-Atlantic integration which involves enhancing partnership in fields such as energy, justice, home affairs, and EU's common foreign policy and security policy.

For his part, Luksic thanked Bulgaria for its support on the country's road to EU and NATO and welcomed the joint efforts of the two countries for overcoming challenges on the Balkans and in Southeastern Europe. In this context Minister Mitov said that Bulgaria will encourage Montenegro's reforms in regard to the rule of law, defence and public opinion until its accession of NATO.

The agreement on social security opens the door to free movement of people between the two countries, as their medical and social insurance rights are preserved, Kalfin explained at a news briefing in the Foreign Ministry.

Kalfin said that this will pave the way for Montenegro to the EU membership negotiations on Chapter 19 connected with the free movement of people.

Minister Luksic said that the agreement sets a solid groundwork for protecting the interests of the people from the two countries.

Foreign Minister Mitov reconfirmed Bulgaria's support for the Euro-Atlantic integration efforts of Montenegro and said that the two countries enjoy fine relations.
It transpired from his remarks that bilateral agreements in education, tourism and investments are also in the pipeline.

The top Bulgarian diplomat recalled that Bulgaria and Montenegro will celebrate the 10th anniversary of the establishment of bilateral relations.

A book on relations between the two countries in the period from 1878 to 1913 was scheduled to be press-launched in Sofia later in the day.

Luksic thanked Bulgaria for being his country's advocate in respect to policies connected with Montenegro's accession to the EU and NATO.

He also said that the two countries have excellent cooperation in economy and science and hopes that relations will be further expanded in tourism and agriculture.

Kalfin said that in April Bulgaria will host a meeting on demographics among the ministers of the Balkan countries.

Meeting with Luksic here on Monday, National Assembly Chair Tsacheva said: "We rely on your support for Bulgaria's bid to host the permanent secretariat of the Parliamentary Assembly of the South-east European Cooperation Process, because Sofia has experience with seating SEECP's Regional Secretariat. Bulgaria is an EU and NATO member, we have good contacts with the European Parliament (EP) and means for closer cooperation with the EP's foreign affairs committee."

Luksic said that 2015 was a dynamic year for bilateral relations between Bulgaria and Montenegro. He said that his first visit in 2016 was to Bulgaria, which testifies to the importance his country attaches to bilateral relations with Bulgaria. He noted a lack of exchange of opinion between the parliamentary speakers of the two countries. Luksic recalled that 2016 marks the 120th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries and the tenth anniversary of establishment of bilateral relations.