Polish President Andrzej Duda met with Montenegro’s President Milo Djukanovic in Warsaw and signaled that Poland wants the Three Seas initiative to include Montenegro as one of the countries on the Adriatic Sea.
The Three Seas Initiative was introduced by Poland as a platform for cooperation between states inside the EU that lie between the Baltic, Adriatic, and Black Seas. It is composed of new EU member states in Central and Eastern Europe as well as Austria.
After the meeting with Djukanovic, Poland’s president said that he wanted to see the Three Seas Initiative broadened as he noted “that Montenegro was a state on the Adriatic coast.”
Duda promised Djukanovic that Poland would move for associate membership of the Three Seas Initiative for non-EU countries such as Montenegro, similar to that already in place for Ukraine. Duda also made clear his support for Montenegro joining the EU.
The two presidents discussed both the Ukraine conflict and the situation in the Balkans with regard to problems being experienced in Bosnia, Kosovo, and Serbia.
The Polish president signaled his determination to ensure that Montenegro is assisted in defending itself against foreign interference. He was alluding to attempts by Russia to gain influence in Montenegro and to stop Montenegro’s ambitions to join the EU.
Both presidents expressed support for Ukraine in defense of a rule-based international order.
Last week, Djukakanovic became one of 11 presidents to sign a letter initiated by President Duda condemning Russia for its bombings of Ukrainian cities.
Montenegro is a member of NATO and a candidate for membership of the EU. The accession negotiations with the EU have been in process for the past 10 years. Poland supports EU membership for all countries in the western Balkans.
