By Talha Ozturk
BELGRADE, Serbia (AA) – Hungarian Foreign Minister Petar Szijjarto announced on Thursday that Montenegro will close EU accession chapters in mid-December, paving the way for the country to join the bloc.
Montenegro’s first goal to be completed on December 17 is to obtain a report on the fulfillment of the Interim Benchmark Assessment Report (IBAR), he said, referring to an interim report on the rule of law that serves as a benchmark for the progress of an EU accession candidate in this area.
He added that one of the primary goals of his country's current EU Presidency is to accelerate enlargement in the Western Balkan region.
Szijjarto made his remarks following a summit between Hungary and Montenegro in Budapest.
“Montenegro has been waiting for the possibility of entry for 16 years, and while all negotiations have been opened, the last time the chapters were closed was seven years ago.
“But now we are breaking the ice. During the Hungarian presidency, we will hold an EU-Montenegro intergovernmental conference in mid-December to conclude four negotiation chapters,” Szijjarto said, adding that “Montenegro is taking another significant step toward EU membership with this.”
Montenegro declared independence in 2006, submitted an official membership application to the EU in December 2008, and was granted "candidate country" status in December 2010.
On June 29, 2012, Montenegro began accession negotiations and is expected to become the EU's next member.
The country signed the first official document with NATO (Partnership for Peace Framework Document) on Dec. 14, 2006, and received the status of NATO's 29th member on June 5, 2017.