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| Jakov Milatovic |
The new President of Montenegro, Jakov Milatovic, said in an interview with Nova TV that Montenegro's European path is indisputable, and that its foreign policy - based on signed international agreements - will not change. When asked by journalists if this means that it is not realistic to expect the withdrawal of recognition of Kosovo, Milatovic said "this is clear."
"We support everything that Belgrade and Pristina agree upon. I think that the normalization of relations between Belgrade and Pristina is important for all countries in the region, and Montenegro wants to be a good neighbor that will promote good neighborly relations," he said, as Radio Free Europe reports.
In the second round of Sunday's elections, on April 2nd, Milatovic defeated former President of Montenegro, Milo Djukanovic, putting an end to decades of rule by the Democratic Party of Socialists in Podgorica. In previous statements to the media, he confirmed his support for the regional initiative of the Open Balkans, which Montenegro currently does not belong to.
Milatovic said he believes the future of the Western Balkans is European, and that Montenegro could be an important partner there. "Montenegro can play an important role - as a locomotive that could be the first to enter the EU - and now we can also push all Western Balkan countries to join us," he said.
In an interview with the Associated Press, he said that one of the main priorities of foreign policy will be to accelerate the country's accession to the EU, and he hopes that Montenegro will become an EU member within the next five years.
Milatovic emphasized that this is particularly important when it comes to the Russian occupation of Ukraine. "So, a foreign policy fully in line with that of the EU is what Montenegro needs to lead us in the future, and this is particularly important now when it comes to Russian aggression in Ukraine. I think that in Europe, and certainly in Montenegro, no one can support the occupation of another sovereign state," he said.