Deputy Minister to the Prime Minister and government spokesperson Pavlos Marinakis met on Tuesday with Montenegro's Minister of Culture and Media Tamara Vujovic. The meeting focused on the transfer of know-how from the press sector, in view of Montenegro's EU accession process.
During the meeting-which took place at Montenegro’s request for the provision of media and press expertise- Marinakis noted that Greece strongly supports Montenegro’s European path and welcomes its steady progress.
"Greece continues to pursue the European integration of the entire Western Balkans region as a strategic goal. We welcome the closing of Chapter 10 of the European Acquis, concerning the Information Society and Media, thanks to the cooperation of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki-particularly Professor Emeritus Nikos Panagiotou of the Department of Journalism and Mass Media," Marinakis told Vujovic. He also noted that Montenegro clearly stands out as a success story of the EU enlargement policy, "demonstrating that moving closer to full membership in the European Union is a realistic goal, provided that candidate countries meet the relevant criteria."
He also emphasised that Greece will continue to provide technical expertise and know-how, and he expressed his satisfaction with the prospect of collaboration. As he pointed out, the Greek government is very interested in working with the government of Montenegro "to explore ways to significantly strengthen our economic cooperation in specific sectors, such as green energy, infrastructure, digital transformation, the banking sector, tourism, and agro-industry."
After the end of the meeting, Marinakis stated that bilateral relations and strategic cooperation between the two governments are stable, and he expressed his satisfaction with cooperating with Montenegro to provide know-how and technical expertise in press-related matters.
"We have managed in our country in recent years to make progress on issues of the rule of law and press freedom, which are recognised by the European Commission’s annual report, and today the Minister’s colleagues, together with our own, will discuss the details of these steps and how all of this can be implemented in Montenegro," he added.
On her part, Vujovic thanked Greece, which, as she said, is a supporter of Montenegro on its European path. She also stated that her country will try to apply Greek know-how, which is necessary for the road to the European Union, and noted that Montenegro is expecting visits from Greek officials at the higher and very highest levels.