On Friday, Volodymyr Lytvyn, Chairman of The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, met Ranko Krivokapic, President of the Parliament of Montenegro, in the framework of the European Conference of the Presidents of Parliaments.
Mr Lytvyn and Mr Krivokapic discussed extension of bilateral cooperation and its parliamentary constituent.
According to Mr Krivokapic, although Montenegro is a relatively young and small country, it tries to participate in the extensive integration processes, and exerts every effort "to occupy a decent place in the Balkans."
Mr Lytvyn stated that he deemed wrong to differentiate between the large and the small countries. "Greatness of the country is not determined by its area or number of population, but the ability of the authorities and the society to consolidate the efforts to develop the country", he stated.
"Montenegro is not a stranger to us. Thus, we are willing to extend cooperation to move from the occasional contacts to the systematic work. The Parliaments of our countries should become the driving force of this process, the Chairman of The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine stated. We have a great many tasks in common, including the international ones. However, the road does not seem so long, if you feel the supporting hand of your friend."
The Parties also discussed accession of Montenegro to the WTO. According to the President of the Parliament of Montenegro, his country has successfully completed the negotiations with almost all the members of the WTO. However, it faced "certain obstacles on the part of Ukraine". Mr Krivokapic explained that the former government of Ukraine "posed the terms, which his country is not able to meet." This problem delayed accession of Montenegro to the WTO for two years.
Mr Krivokapic expects that The Verkhovna Rada would facilitate settlement of this issue.
The Chairman of The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine promised to address the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine with a request to clarify the situation, restoring the negotiations about the terms of accession of Montenegro to the WTO. "I do not believe in the deliberate intention to hold your country hostage to our domestic problems", V.Lytvyn stated. In his turn, Mr Krivokapic agreed that this situation was a result of misunderstanding between the executive authorities of the states.
The Heads of the Parliaments exchanged the invitations to make official visits to the respective countries.