The President of Montenegro Filip Vujanović paid a visit to Bulgaria this week. Prime Minister Milo Đukanović was also here three months earlier. The frequency of such high-level visits is an indication that mutual interest in promoting the relations between the two countries is running high.

The talks between President Vujanović and his Bulgarian counterpart Rossen Plevneliev and between Milo Đukanović and Prime Minister Boyko Borissov at the end of March focused on Sofia’s political support for Montenegro’s Euro-Atlantic integration and the prospects of promoting bilateral cooperation, especially in power generation. During both visits the emphasis fell on the potentiality of Bulgaria’s exporting electricity to Italy along a future high-voltage cable connecting Montenegro with Italy. Talks on this were first held in 2011 but now that the project looks like being finalized and the cable should be made operational in 2018, the issue is once more being brought into the spotlight. The two countries’ presidents discussed the intention of Bulgarian companies to take part in the construction of hydroelectric power plants in Montenegro, of the Kotor-Lovcen-Cetinje ski lift and other infrastructure facilities, the invitation for which has already been tendered. Vujanović stated he regarded Bulgaria’s interest in his country’s energy sector as a positive development adding that he expected similar interest in tourism, including bilateral projects that will draw tourists from third countries to Bulgaria and Montenegro. On his part, President Plevneliev urged Montenegro to show an interest in projects on the territory of Bulgaria. The statements made are an indication that the level of political dialogue is just as good as before but that no headway has been made in trade or economic relations which are far from the real potential of the two countries and from the levels of exchange with the other countries of Southeast Europe. There exist untapped opportunities connected with EU funding for improving connectivity in the region. These problems are likely to be included in the agenda of the next meeting of the Joint Committee on Economic Cooperation due in Sofia.

English version: Milena Daynova