President's visit to reaffirm Estonia’s support for Montenegro’s EU path

TALLINN - Estonian President Alar Karis is to begin his first official visit to Montenegro on Thursday, with the visit highlighting the growing importance of bilateral relations between Estonia and Montenegro, reaffirming Estonia's strong support for Montenegro's efforts to join the European Union, and underscoring the importance of allied relations within NATO.

On Friday, Karis is to meet with Montenegro's President Jakov Milatović and Deputy Prime Minister Filip Ivanović. He will also hold meetings with Parliament Deputy Speaker Zdenka Popović and members of the Montenegro-Estonia parliamentary friendship group.

"Estonia highly values its long-standing cooperation with Montenegro in the fields of e-governance and cybersecurity," Karis said ahead of the visit.

"There is significant potential in our cooperation -- whether it is sharing EU accession experience, deepening digital cooperation and cybersecurity, or supporting Ukraine together in the face of Russia's aggression. This visit is an important step in strengthening ties between our countries.”

In addition to advancing bilateral relations, the discussions will focus on Montenegro's EU integration and EU enlargement. Other topics include European security, developments in our region and the Western Balkans, comprehensive support for Ukraine, and holding Russia accountable. President Karis will also present Estonia's positions ahead of NATO's summit in The Hague and discuss transatlantic relations.

Karis will also visit Montenegro's national cybersecurity center and the Science and Technology Park to learn more about the Innovation Fund and the country's digital and technological development. At a meeting at the Innovation Fund, the president will give a speech highlighting Estonia's success as a digital nation.

The Estonian e-Governance Academy (eGA) will help share Estonia's e-governance expertise in Montenegro. eGa is implementing two EU-funded cybersecurity capacity-building projects with a total budget of 7.6 million euros. The projects aim to support regional public institutions in enhancing their cyber capabilities through advisory support and training exercises.

Estonia was the first country to establish diplomatic relations with newly independent Montenegro in June 2006. Over the years, ties between the two countries have deepened, particularly through the EU accession process, the promotion of digital solutions in the Western Balkans, cooperation in NATO, and joint support for Ukraine.

Karis is scheduled to return to Estonia on Saturday.