Presidential visit confirms Estonian support for Montenegro on its path to EU accession
05.06.2025
PHOTO: Montenegro Presidendi Kantselei
President Alar Karis is set to begin his first official visit to Montenegro today. The visit reflects the growing importance of Estonia’s bilateral relations with the Adriatic nation, confirms Estonia’s strong backing for Montenegro’s efforts to secure EU accession and underscores the importance of allied relations within NATO.
Tomorrow, the Estonian head of state will be meeting with his Montenegrin counterpart Jakov Milatović and Deputy Prime Minister Filip Ivanović. He will also meet with Deputy Speaker of Parliament Zdenka Popović and members of the Estonian Friendship Group of the Montenegrin parliament.
“Estonia places great value on the many years of cooperation it has enjoyed with Montenegro in the fields of e-governance and cybersecurity,” President Karis remarked ahead of the visit. “There is considerable potential in our working together, whether that be Estonia sharing its experience of joining the EU, or deepening our digital cooperation and cybersecurity ties, or jointly supporting Ukraine against Russia’s aggression. This visit is important for strengthening cooperation between our two countries.”
In addition to fostering bilateral relations, the meetings will focus on Montenegro’s euro integration and the enlargement of the EU. Discussions will also cover European security, developments in Estonia’s region and in the Western Balkans, broad-ranging support for Ukraine and Russia being held to account. The head of state will be outlining Estonia’s position at the NATO summit in The Hague and touching on transatlantic relations.
President Karis will also be visiting the Western Balkans Cyber Capacity Centre and the Science and Technology Park of Montenegro to find out more about the country’s Innovation Fund and digital and technological developments. He will be giving a speech at the Innovation Fund meeting on Estonia’s success as a digital country.
Helping to share Estonia’s e-governance experience in Montenegro is the Estonian e-Governance Academy, which is implementing two EU-funded cybersecurity capacity-building projects valued at 7.6 million euros. The aim of these projects is to support the region’s public authorities in building cyber-capacity through advisory services and training.
Estonia was the first country to establish diplomatic relations with Montenegro upon the declaration of its independence in June 2006. Relations between the two countries have deepened over the years, in particular thanks to the EU accession process, the promotion of digital solutions in the Western Balkans, cooperation in NATO and assistance for Ukraine.
President Karis will be returning to Estonia on Saturday.