During numerous bilateral meetings of the President of the Parliament, Mr Ivan Brajović, at the OSCE PA Annual Session in Minsk, an undivided opinion was expressed that Montenegro was continuously leading a constructive policy on the internal and external plan, that it responsibly approached its obligations with regards to its membership in the international organisations, and that the political system was functioning smoothly, despite the opposition not participating in the work of the Parliament.
At the meeting with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Belarus, Mr Vladimir Makei, it was concluded that, with full respect for the foreign policy priorities of both countries, relations should not be concentrated on obstacles, but new opportunities for achieving concrete results. Minister Makei stressed that Belarus considered Montenegro a reliable friend and a partner in the Western Balkans region, and that Belarus did not see Montenegro's membership in NATO as a threat, but it respected the sovereign right of Montenegro to determine its own priorities, guided by the interests of citizens and circumstances in the region to which it belonged. Both sides concluded that this was a very important meeting that would provide the impetus for interstate cooperation.
The OSCE PA Vice-President and the Head of the British Delegation, Lord Peter Bowness, said that the countries of the Western Balkans must be free to choose their political path and allies, adding that the region must remain in the focus of the European Union.
At the meeting with Mr Roberto Battelli, OSCE PA Vice-President and Special Representative on South East Europe, Mr Roberto Montella, OSCE PA Secretary General and Mr Andreas Nothelle, Head the OSCE PA's Vienna Liaison Office, it was pointed out that there were many arguments to support Montenegro on its path to the EU, and that the OSCE PA did not support a boycott policy, which, as a cancer, directly undermined citizens' confidence in the electoral process.
OSCE PA Session was an opportunity for a meeting with the ODIHR Delegation, headed by Ms Katarzyna Gardapkhadze, First Deputy Director of the organisation, who expressed gratitude to Montenegro for excellent cooperation and dedicated approach to electoral reports. It was emphasised, among other things, that huge election turn-out shows the degree of confidence that citizens had in the electoral process and it could be an example to other countries. The Deputy Director of ODIHR stressed that participants in political life who threaten the electoral system, will have problems with voters' support in the future.
All the interlocutors congratulated President Brajović on the membership of Montenegro in NATO, as the realisation of an important strategic goal of our country.
Ms Margareta Cederfelt, the Rapporteur for the General Committee on Political Affairs and Security, said that Montenegro was a small country, but with a huge will for steady progress. Considering her role as a representative of the OSCE PA in the Observation Mission during the parliamentary elections in Montenegro, Ms Cederfelt welcomed the way in which the state authorities in Montenegro conducted the events preceding the election day and expressed satisfaction with the fact that everything ended peacefully and without affecting the election process.
