13/10/2013 President
Strasbourg, 13.102013 – At the end of his visit to Montenegro, PACE President Jean-Claude Mignon congratulated the authorities on their exemplary co-operation with the Council of Europe, which would help the country's progress on the path of European integration. The recent amendments to the Constitution concerning the reform of the courts and the prosecutor’s office were very important steps in the right direction. He also encouraged the Parliament of Montenegro to continue the work being carried out by the parliamentary working group on reforming electoral legislation.
“The Council of Europe would provide the expert advice required and recommend good practices to help the country make even more rapid progress”, he said.
Montenegro’s model of integration and its intercultural and inter-ethnic dialogue were examples of good practice for all Council of Europe member states and neighbours.
During his meetings with the President of the Republic and the Minister for Foreign Affairs and European Integration, the PACE President welcomed the constructive role that Montenegro played in regional co-operation and reconciliation. “We need your support in fully achieving the European perspective of all countries in the region,” he said.
In his address to the OSCE PA Forum on the Mediterranean, the PACE President stressed the need for co-operation and parliamentary dialogue on both sides of the Mediterranean. “We do not have any ready-made solutions and it is even less envisageable that we should impose the solutions that we might consider to be the most appropriate. It is therefore essential that we have dialogue and an exchange of ideas.”
“We must assume our joint responsibilities in rising to the challenges facing us: the mass arrival of refugees in very unsafe conditions on Mediterranean coasts, the humanitarian consequences of the war in Syria, and the democratic changes in the southern Mediterranean and the Middle East. The status of Partner for Democracy with the PACE is a powerful tool for making progress on these subjects. Human rights know no borders and I hope that our two Assemblies will make full use of all tools of dialogue and parliamentary diplomacy to come up with appropriate solutions.”
During his visit, Jean-Claude Mignon met Filip Vujanović, President of the Republic and Ranko Krivokapić, the Parliamentary Speaker, as well as the Deputy Prime Minister and Igor Lukšić, Minister for Foreign Affairs and European Integration. He also took part in the OSCE PA Forum on the Mediterranean.