The President of Montenegro, Jakov Milatovic, arrived on an official visit to Bosnia and Herzegovina. He held a meeting with members of the BiH Presidency, after which they addressed the public. They emphasized good neighborly relations and strong economic cooperation, while also identifying areas for improvement, particularly infrastructure. Milatovic expressed "a sense of sadness" about the state of the Sarajevo-Podgorica road and called on relevant institutions to prioritize the road between Foca and the Bosnia-Montenegro border.

“Today I am here as a friend visiting a friend, and I think that is the most important message I want to send,” Milatovic said at the beginning of his address.

He offered condolences to the families of those affected by floods and landslides in BiH, noting that such emergencies reveal the closeness and support among countries in the region.

“Good neighborly cooperation based on mutual respect, trust, and appreciation is an imperative of our foreign policy. It serves as an excellent foundation for intensified efforts to preserve peace and stability in our region. Montenegro is committed to being a good neighbor in this regard. I want to send that message from Sarajevo today. Good neighborly cooperation is one of Montenegro’s three main foreign policy priorities, alongside credible NATO membership and accelerating EU accession, and it is also the most important priority due to our shared past and, I am sure, our shared future,” Milatovic stated.

He pointed out that, geographically, Sarajevo and Podgorica are the closest capitals at 180 km apart, yet the road does not reflect this closeness. He appealed to the relevant institutions to focus on this route.

Milatovic emphasized that the path toward EU membership is a shared goal driving the diplomatic and political efforts of both BiH and Montenegro.

“Montenegro has decisively embarked on reforms with a clear vision and goal to become the EU’s 28th member by 2028. BiH has started its EU journey, and as neighbors, we are pleased. I am confident that relations between BiH and Montenegro will continue to develop through mutual respect and cooperation,” Milatovic concluded.

The Chairman of the BiH Presidency, Denis Becirovic, thanked Milatovic for Montenegro's support during the floods in BiH, highlighting that Milatović was one of the first regional leaders to offer help.

“Today's meeting took place in a positive atmosphere, with a desire to continue positive trends, and where things could move faster, to initiate that. In terms of bilateral cooperation, we can confirm that these are good friendly relations with no open issues, and we see room for improvement in areas such as infrastructure connectivity, energy, tourism, science, education, security, and more. Regarding infrastructure links between our two countries, we acknowledged that some processes need significant acceleration. We want to energize the construction of the Tara Bridge and access roads, and to revisit the question of the Capljina-Trebinje-Niksic railway. We also want to raise public awareness about the Adriatic-Ionian road, which runs through both Montenegro and BiH,” Becirovic said.

They noted that more than 50 important agreements have been signed between the two countries, with last year's foreign trade reaching 785 million KM, a record figure, as Becirovic highlighted.

Today, Milatovic and members of the BiH Presidency will also attend a business forum organized by the BiH Foreign Trade Chamber and the Chamber of Commerce of Montenegro.