Montenegro enjoys ‘excellent’ bilateral ties with Türkiye: Foreign minister

By Sumeyye Dilara Dincer

ANTALYA, Türkiye (AA) - Montenegrin Foreign Minister Filip Ivanovic said that his country enjoys “excellent” bilateral relations with Türkiye

"These relations are not only political or intergovernmental. We also have friendly relations between our peoples," Ivanovic told Anadolu at the Antalya Diplomacy Forum in southern Türkiye.

"We have excellent cooperation in culture, tourism, and many other areas. We want to expand this cooperation and deepen our ties," he added.

Ivanovic drew attention to the importance of Türkiye's diplomatic and mediation efforts to ensure stability, prosperity, and security in the Western Balkans region and praised the Antalya Diplomacy Forum.

"The extremely positive and friendly approach of Türkiye towards different countries in the Western Balkans is something we highly value," he said.

Assessing Israel's recent attacks on Gaza, Ivanovic said that the solution to the crisis should be within the framework of international law.

Underlining Montenegro's support for a two-state solution, Ivanovic said: "What we ultimately want to see is an end to conflict, suffering, and a chance for the region to be rebuilt, giving people the opportunity to live in peace and prosperity."

Flouting the International Court of Justice’s provisional ruling, Israel continued its onslaught on the Gaza Strip where at least 30,534 Palestinians have been killed, mostly women and children, and 71,920 injured since Oct. 7, according to Palestinian health authorities.

Israel has pounded the Gaza Strip since a cross-border attack by Hamas, which Tel Aviv says killed nearly 1,200 people.

The Israeli war on Gaza has pushed 85% of the territory's population into internal displacement amid acute shortages of food, clean water and medicine, while 60% of the enclave's infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling in January ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.

Hostilities have continued unabated, however, and aid deliveries remain woefully insufficient to address the humanitarian catastrophe.

*Writing by Zehra Nur Duz