Montenegro, Croatia advance on outstanding issues, Ibrahimović says

Montenegrin Foreign Minister Ervin Ibrahimović said on that relations between Montenegro and Croatia have made more progress than at any point in the past 30 years, pointing to the fact that a Montenegrin delegation is currently in Zagreb working with Croatian officials on outstanding issues between the two countries.

Answering journalists’ questions after a meeting with Maltese Foreign and European Affairs Minister Chris Fearne, Ibrahimović said that the outstanding issues between Zagreb and Podgorica were not impossible to resolve and that he believed in Croatia’s “extended hand,” CE Report quotes HINA.

“A delegation of the Montenegrin Ministry of Foreign Affairs is in Zagreb today so that we can map out the next steps for all the challenges we have with Croatia,” Ibrahimović said.

“I believe that Croatia recognizes the importance of Montenegro’s EU membership. I want to encourage all citizens, and I believe in Croatia’s extended hand. I appreciate its assistance on Montenegro’s path to NATO, and I hope that the same support will be provided on Montenegro’s path to the EU,” Ibrahimović said.

In July, Croatia’s Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs called on the Montenegrin government to take decisive steps to resolve outstanding issues with Croatia, saying this was crucial for Montenegro’s path to the EU.

The issues include compensation for former camp detainees, continued efforts to locate 14 people missing from the Croatian War of Independence, prosecution of war crimes, resolving property and legal issues involving Croatian families who lost property in Montenegro, preserving the memorial plaque at the former Morinj camp, changing the name of the swimming pool in Kotor, continuing talks on the maritime border, and returning the training ship Jadran.

Montenegrin authorities have set an ambitious goal of closing all EU accession negotiating chapters by the end of this year and becoming an EU member in 2028.

“Only a few months remain until the end of 2026, and therefore we once again call on the Montenegrin side to engage in constructive dialogue and accelerate work on outstanding issues,” the Croatian Foreign and European Affairs Ministry said at the time.

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