Montenegro’s President Jakov Milatovic said in an interview for state broadcaster MRT, adding that both citizens and political leaders must decide whether they want to “be right” or see the country join the European Union.

“You mentioned that Montenegro also has some open issues with Croatia, which, as an EU member state, holds greater leverage in the negotiation process. Unfortunately, Croatia has already blocked the closure of one negotiation chapter that was technically ready to be finalized, but politically it did not give its approval. We hope that in the coming period we will be able to resolve these issues together with our Croatian partners. I believe Montenegro’s EU membership would also be in Croatia’s interest, as it would further strengthen stability and prosperity in the Western Balkans. However, it is important to understand that beyond the technical aspects of adopting EU legislation, there is also a political dimension, each of the 27 member states must approve the accession of any new member. In that sense, we certainly need to focus most on our relations with Croatia, and likely with some other countries as well,” he said.