President Milanović Meets with President of Montenegro Jakov Milatović on Monday

On Monday, the President of the Republic of Croatia Zoran Milanović will meet in the Office of the President of the Republic with the President of Montenegro Jakov Milatović, who is paying a two-day Official visit to the Republic of Croatia. This is President Milatović’s first visit to Croatia after he was elected and sworn in as President of the Republic of Montenegro in May, and Croatia is the first European Union member state he will officially visit.

Bilateral relations between Croatia and Montenegro and the possibility of a negotiated settlement of outstanding issues, the status and rights of the Croats in Montenegro, the continuation of Montenegrin negotiations on European Union membership, allied cooperation within NATO and the political situation in South East Europe are expected to be the main topics discussed by the two Presidents.

In addition to his meeting with the President of the Republic, President Milatović is also scheduled to meet with the Prime Minister and the Speaker of the Croatian Parliament during his Official visit to Zagreb.

President Milanović has repeatedly emphasized so far Croatia’s support for “the European path of Montenegro”, saying that “Montenegro’s place is in the EU and it’s good that Montenegro is in NATO.” Croatia has continually assisted Montenegro on its path to EU membership, mostly by providing political and technical assistance in accession talks with the EU, which opened in 2012.

According to official data, about 6,000 ethnic Croats live in Montenegro, while unofficial estimates put their number at 10,000. The Croats in Montenegro are recognized as an indigenous ethnic minority. After the last parliamentary election, they have their representative in the Assembly of Montenegro, Adrijan Vuksanović, a member of the Croatian Civic Initiative. The Croatian National Council, based in Tivat, is the umbrella association of Montenegrin Croats.

According to figures from the Croatian Bureau of Statistics, trade between the two countries reached €316 million last year, an increase of 32 percent from the previous year, with Croatia registering a significant trade surplus. Croatian companies have invested €294 million in Montenegro to date.