China’s Ambassador to Montenegro, Fan Kun, took over as ambassador in September last year. Since then, he’s had the opportunity to see beauties of Montenegro he heard about so many times, hospitality of our people but also the turbulent political times it’s been facing, writes Pobjeda daily.
In the first interview after the start of his term of office, Ambassador Fan Kun speaks about the relations between Montenegro and China, mutual respect, and also about prospects for future international cooperation. He urges the political actors in Montenegro to return stability to the country and along with China, promote further development of stable bilateral and friendly relations between the two.
On the priority section of the Bar-Boljare motorway and the fact that its construction reinforced the relations between China and Montenegro, the Ambassador said: “The priority section of the Bar-Boljare motorway in Montenegro is a great achievement in practical cooperation between the two countries and is a real model of projects in the area of infrastructure within the ‘Belt and Road’ Initiative and cooperation mechanisms between China and the countries of Central and Eastern Europe. Since it was opened in July this year, more than a million vehicles have passed safely through that section, which has undoubtedly greatly facilitated the travel and life of all Montenegrin citizens, thus becoming a true symbol of Chinese-Montenegrin friendship and cooperation”.
Speaking about the new cooperation opportunities as well as strengthening of the existing ones, Mr Fan Kun noted: “China and Montenegro will continue to cherish their friendship through time and space and achieve cooperation without limitations. As ambassador of the People’s Republic of China to Montenegro, I’ll try to fully affirm the continuation of exchange and cooperation between our countries in key areas, such as transport infrastructure and renewable energy sources, but also the continuation of deepening practical cooperation in the field of tourism, agricultural and food products, science and technology, and to contribute to the promotion of exchange in culture, education and sports, while creating a starting point for cooperation in new areas, such as high technology, environmental protection and innovation.”
Asked to comment on the current political situation in Montenegro and say how the talks over the formation of a new government looked to him, being a foreign diplomat, he said that “China has always insisted that all countries are equal, regardless of their size. In addition, China insists on a mutual respect of sovereignty and territorial integrity, refraining from meddling in any country’s internal policy and respect for the right of every country to make decisions on its internal affairs on its own. Traditionally, China and Montenegro respect each other and take care of the core interests of the two”.
