During his historic first official visit to Kazakhstan, President of Montenegro Jakov Milatović discussed prospects for expanding bilateral cooperation in trade, tourism, logistics, energy and digital transformation in an exclusive interview with Qazinform News Agency.
Reflecting on his meetings with President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and other senior Kazakh officials, Milatović highlighted the importance of strengthening economic ties, enhancing connectivity through the Middle Corridor, deepening people-to-people contacts and expanding Montenegro's diplomatic presence in Central Asia, describing Kazakhstan as a friendly country and a key partner in the region.
- Mr. President, thank you very much for being with us today and for sharing your time with us this morning. This year marks the 20th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Kazakhstan and Montenegro. At the same time, your visit is historic, as this is the first official visit by a President of Montenegro to our country.
What were the key objectives of this visit, and how do you see its contribution to further strengthening bilateral ties? Indeed, this is a truly historic visit, as it is the first official visit by a President of Montenegro to Kazakhstan. I am here at the invitation of President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.
We met last year on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York, where he kindly invited me to visit Kazakhstan, and this year we are turning that invitation into reality. This year is also very special for Montenegro because we are celebrating 20 years since regaining our independence, as well as 20 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations with Kazakhstan.
I believe that through this visit both Kazakhstan and Montenegro are demonstrating that our partnership and friendship have reached the highest political level. This visit has elevated our political dialogue to the highest level. At the same time, it aims to give additional substance to our friendly bilateral relationship.
As I said yesterday when I was welcomed by President Tokayev, I am coming here as a friend to a friendly country. The substance we wanted to add is primarily related to economic cooperation. That is why I arrived with a relatively large business delegation from Montenegro, around 30 representatives from various sectors.
Yesterday, they met with their counterparts from Kazakhstan at the business forum to explore opportunities for strengthening economic cooperation between our countries. I would also like to mention that I arrived on Air Astana, your national carrier, which connects Montenegro with both Astana and Almaty.
The flight takes approximately five and a half hours, and my experience with Air Astana was excellent. This air connection, which has existed for more than five years, has significantly strengthened our ties. Increasing numbers of Kazakh citizens are visiting Montenegro as tourists.
Our countries enjoy a visa-free regime, which has also encouraged more Montenegrins to travel to Kazakhstan. We certainly want to continue strengthening these people-to-people ties. - You mentioned your meeting with President Tokayev at the UN General Assembly last year.