Bulgaria will be the loudest lobbyist of Montenegro's membership in the European Union, was the message of the Speaker of the National Assembly of the Republic of Bulgaria, Ms Tsveta Karayancheva, during the meeting with the Chairperson of the Committee on International Relations and Emigrants, Mr Andrija Nikolić, the head of the Montenegrin parliamentary delegation to Sofia. Ms Karayancheva and Mr Nikolić agreed that the integration of the Western Balkans is a condition for regional stability, and that internal reforms in the Union should not slow down the dynamics of accession of candidate countries.

Delegation of the Committee on International Relations and Emigrants, composed of members, Mr Luiđ Škrelja and Mr Miloš Nikolić, beside the Chairperson, Mr Andrija Nikolić, expressed special gratitude to the Bulgarian National Assembly for the most frequent inter-parliamentary cooperation that the Parliament of Montenegro has with one of the member countries of the European Union.

During the meeting of the Montenegrin delegation with their counterparts from the Foreign Affairs Committee of the National Assembly of Bulgaria, the Chairperson of that body, Ms Dzhema Grozdanova, announced even stronger support to Montenegro's integration efforts, noting that Bulgaria would insist that candidate countries be assessed on the basis of individual achievements.

MP Mr Luiđ Škrelja expressed his satisfaction with the traditionally friendly relations between Montenegro and the Republic of Bulgaria, stressing that a good level of overall cooperation should be maintained for mutual benefit, while Mr Miloš Nikolić assessed that excellent political relations between the two countries have been a good basis for establishing stronger economic cooperation. He also pointed to the possibilities for intensifying cooperation in the field of energy and agriculture, with expressed readiness from the Bulgarian side.

During the meeting of the Committee with the Friendship Group with Montenegro, headed by Mr Petar Petrov, it was reiterated that Montenegro irretrievably was on the road to European integration, and that significant results were achieved with regard to the adoption of the European system of values, and economic and social development.

During the talks with the Deputy Foreign Minister of the Republic of Bulgaria,  Mr Todor Stoyanov, the emphasis was on economic issues and prospects for the improvement of the cooperation, especially in the fields of energy, infrastructure and tourism.

The official meetings of the Committee on International Relations and Emigrants in Sofia were attended by the Ambassador of Montenegro to the Republic of Bulgaria, Ms Snežana Radović.

The return visit of the Montenegrin delegationto was organised upon the invitation of the Chairperson of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Bulgarian Parliament, Ms Dzhema Grozdanova.