“I would like for everyone to lose an illusion that 25 years of election wins can be achieved with tricks. No, it is achieved with voters’ trust“, Đukanović said.
Đukanović is well aware that the fact that one party is in position of leadership for 25 years in Montenegro is a “thorn in the eye” for some.
“We are not ready to back down because of that, and to satisfy expectations of those who wish to replace us. We think that we are consistent in our progress“, he said.
Independence was not a matter of “mere national romanticism”
He said that the fight for Montenegro’s independence was not “mere national romanticism”, but well thought out idea for the future.
“We knew that we want this future to be European”, Đukanović said.
He said that he believes Balkan needs integration, especially in the light of its violent history.
“The road to stability is the road of integration, and we believe Montenegro’s politics are an example to the region”, he said.
He said that he is happy to see the region responding well to this need, and seeing that all the countries of Balkan have their future in EU, and that all countries, aside from Serbia, see themselves in NATO.
Đukanović said that Montenegro has done a good job in four years since opening the first chapter with EU.
According to him, the negotiations process is dynamic and worthwhile.
“The goal in EU negotiations is not only to achieve membership. We do not see the negotiations as a road to run through, we believe that it has positive impact on our development”, he said, adding that Montenegro is becoming more and more civilized, compared to its past.
We understand the Brexit
EU will have changed by the time Montenegro is ready to join.
“We can understand the need of Great Britain to leave EU, Iceland’s decision to put a suspension on the candidacy, but in Montenegro we believe that EU is a good choice for the countries of Western Balkan”, Đukanović said.
He believes that Europe would be more important on the global scene if it was united.
Đukanović said that Montenegro has received an invitation to join NATO and is now in the process of ratification of the Accession Protocol.
He said that he is certain that this process will be done by the spring of next year, adding that Montenegro will participate in NATO work until then.
“We believe that NATO Integration is important, for us it is a feeling of belonging to a new value system”, he said.
According to him, Montenegro and Balkan did not share the value system with EU and NATO during history.
He said that Montenegro was the least developed republic in Yugoslavia, while now, ten years later, it is the most developed economy in Western Balkan.
This has been achieved due to increased foreign investments.
Montenegro has been working tirelessly during last ten years, so it could achieve EU standards.
Proud of our friendship with Russia
When asked about the relationship between Montenegro and Russia, he said that it is marked by a long tradition of diplomatic trust and friendship.
“We are proud of this tradition. We do not wish to renounce our identity or our friendships from history. We will also fight for our right to determine our future“, Đukanović said.
He said that Montenegro has the best chances to respond to future challenges if it is a part of EU and NATO.
According to him, the reasons for Montenegro’s membership in NATO is not antagonism for any country, including Russia.
“Simply, it is our belief that this road will be good for our state, and we expect all our friends to understand our need, and accept that we are the ones who can best judge our good interests”, he said.
He said that Russia and Montenegro used to have more developed economic relations.
“We had Russian capital in aluminium industry. There have been changes since”, he said.
He said that Montenegro is open to welcome tourists and investors from both East and West, but that everyone should know they are welcome as partners, but the politics of Montenegro are a matter of Montenegro.
Montenegro is holding its future in its own hands
“I think we are now more aware than ever of our resources. Of course, they alone are not enough, there needs to be a wisdom to use these resources in a sustainable manner. This is time consuming and we must be realistic in our expectations“, Đukanović said.
He added that the key deficit of Montenegro is infrastructure.
“Montenegro needs to get closer to tourists and investors and we must work hard for that”, he said.
Other two deficits are lack of knowledge and weak rule of law.
“This is why our reforms are directed at solving those two issues. Reforms of education are one example of our efforts in this area”, he said.
Prime Minister said that Montenegro is putting a lot of effort in reforms in area of rule of law in order to achieve the higher level that could guarantee safety for every citizen and visitor of Montenegro.
“It is the most important condition of Montenegro’s economic and democratic development”, Đukanović concluded.
