Abazovic to the Pope in the Vatican: “We invited him to Montenegro”

“A very positive visit, full of symbolic messages that gave us the opportunity to appreciate the Holy Father’s warmth, his availability and humanity, as well as to invite him to visit our country”. Montenegro’s Deputy Prime Minister Dritan Abazovic, who was in the Vatican today, comments in these terms the meeting he had with the Pontiff as an official guest of the general audience. “It was a very important message for our country, which is multicultural: we like to internationally promote the image of a modern, pro-European state and we want to show the rest of the world that our people, the new political spirit that we represent, he wants Montenegro to cooperate with all states, without distinction “.

“Montenegro – he continues, speaking with Adnkronos – is a special country for Pope Francis because the person who approached him to the bishopric in Argentina was a Montenegrin religious, who had never been to his country of origin. The Pope will perhaps fulfill his last wish “with his visit. Ours, he reiterates, is a country of many confessions, where different ethnic groups, religions and languages ​​coexist peacefully”.

In Rome, Abazovic had meetings with representatives of economic and financial institutions, and will see Monsignor Vincenzo Paglia at Sant’Egidio tomorrow.

“With Italy – he explains – we have traditionally good relations, your country enjoys great sympathy and respect from the entire Montenegrin population: what we expect – and I say this as coordinator of the institutions of security and public order, a position that I perform in acting as Deputy Prime Minister – is a strengthening of collaboration in activities aimed at ensuring compliance with the law, guarantee institutions, the rule of law, and the fight against organized crime, smuggling of all kinds “. “Collaboration also extended to the persecution of crimes: we need joint actions to have common results”.

“In the last year – he underlines – there is no type of mafia that we as a government have not attacked on all fronts, from drug trafficking to cigarette smuggling and I can proudly say that we have achieved visible results. We are convinced that we can change. the image of our country in the best possible way and the Italian experience and help will be a key element “. In particular, the Deputy Prime Minister recalls “the seizure of one and a half tons of cocaine in an operation conducted at the end of August, the largest quantity seized in the Balkans in addition to the seizure of large quantities of cigarettes”.

“We are also interested – he explains – in promoting Western investments in the energy sector and in general we look to Italy as a very important state that will be more active economically in the Western Balkans and especially in Montenegro”.

“As for the path towards the European Union, we are very focused on achieving it. We are sure that Italy will support us, also considering the fact that we are more advanced in the path of integration than other Balkan countries. We hope that this process will end. as soon as possible with Italian support “.

Abazovic is the head of the Ura civic environmental party. “Our main objective – he explains speaking of his movement – is to maintain the Euro-Atlantic course of Montenegro and we have successfully guaranteed this role up to now. For the future I am completely convinced that with our party policy, a policy marked by Europeanism and identified in the defense of the national interest, of the state, we will be able to achieve – thanks to our role – an even greater stability than we have now “.