Chairperson of the Committee on International Relations and Emigrants Mr Andrija Nikolić and members of the Security and Defence Committee Mr Milorad Vuleticć and Mr Miodrag Vuković took part in the conference
Two-day Interparliamentary conference on the common foreign and security policy (CFSP) and the common security and defence policy (CSDP), held in Sofia, the Republic Bulgaria, dealt with priorities and objectives in the field of CFSP and CSDP. In her opening remarks, High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Ms Federica Mogherini said that Montenegro and Albania have stood out in comparison to other candidates, by their active participation in aligning with and shaping of the Union's foreign and defence policy. Ms Mogherini stated that the national parliaments have been playing a key role in shaping foreign policy, at the same time remaining open to the public.
“Foreign and security policy are not only the responsibility of the national governments, but of the parliaments as well“, Ms Mogherini said. The High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy said that in the last few months the EU has made significant steps in the field of foreign and security policy, developing thus the second most important defence system in the world. She noted that the EU-NATO relations have been stronger than ever, adding that Europeans have to take responsibility for their own safety.
Speaking on reforms and perspective of the WB, Chairperson of the Committee on International Relations and Emigrants Mr Andrija Nikolić said that Montenegro saw the new EU Enlargement Strategy as a strong promotion of the European integration idea, with the aim to be made more topical and credible by both Brussels and candidate countries.
“We in Montenegro believe that new energy in the enlargement policy is of key importance for the long-term sustainability of European unity, but also for generating the integration enthusiasm of the WB countries. The criteria of individual assessment of candidate countries is particularly important for Montenegro, and I assure you that Montenegro will successfully fulfil its obligations even before 2025”, the Chairperson of the Committee on International Relations and Emigrants of the Montenegrin Parliament said.
Ms Tsveta Karayancheva, President of the National Assembly of the Republic of Bulgaria, said that the WB integration into the European family of developed nations would be priority of the Bulgarian Presidency of the EU. Ms Dzhema Grozdanova, Chairperson of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the National Assembly of the Republic of Bulgaria, said that Europe, in the forthcoming period, should not rely on others when it comes to providing security. Ms Grozdanova added that cooperation among the Union members was of major importance for sharing the intelligence and finding new possibilities for cooperating with the Great Britain after Brexit. The Western Balkans region, in her opinion, must deal more intensively with problems of organised crime, migration, extreme radicalism and terrorism.
Chair of the EP Committee on Foreign Affairs Mr David McAllister said in his address that EU member states must jointly address burning problems such as disinformation and hybrid warfare.
Two-day Interparliamentary Conference for the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) and the Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) brought together delegations of national parliaments of members of the European Union and observer countries as well as representatives of the European Parliament in order to conduct constructive discussions on current topics from the subject areas.
The two-day conference was focused on current EU priorities and objectives in the field of CFSP and CSDP, strengthening EU-NATO cooperation in fighting terrorism, cyber-defence, hybrid warfare, as well as cooperation in the field of maritime safety.
Address by Chairperson of the Committee on International Relations and Emigrants Mr Andrija Nikolić
