Montenegrin President on Visit to Belgrade

Jakov Milatovic , Aleksandar Vucic. Belgrade, July 10 2023 (BETAPHOTO/AMIR HAMZAGIC)

Newly-elected Montenegrin President Jakov Milatovic has arrived for his first official visit to Belgrade. His agenda for June 10 includes meeting with his Serbian counterpart Aleksandar Vucic and Serbian parliament speaker Vladimir Orlic, with the main goal of restoring mutual diplomatic relations.

Milatovic landed at Nikola Tesla Airport in the afternoon hours of June 9, where he was greeted by Foreign Affairs Minister Ivica Dacic. That evening, both officials attended an informal dinner hosted by Vucic, giving them an opportunity to discuss furthering ties between Serbia and Montenegro. This, Milatovic tweeted, is important not only politically and economically for both sides, but is essential for the good neighborliness of the entire region.

In the evening of June 9, Milatovic also attended a reception at the Montenegrin House in Belgrade, where he stated that revitalizing political relations is crucial for furthering the economic relationship between the two countries and that Serbia is one of Montenegro’s most important trade partners – if not the most important.

Speaking for RTCG, Montenegro’s public radio and television service, Milatovic said that the main topic of his visit is re-establishing diplomatic relations at the ambassadorial level, which collapsed in September 2022 when Serbia’s ambassador to Montenegro Vladimir Bozovic was banned from Montenegro for allegedly posing a threat to the country’s national security.