Croatian President Zoran Milanović declared Montenegro “welcome in the European Union” at the Lučindanski susreti gathering in Zagreb on 31 October.
The event, a traditional meeting of the Montenegrin community in Croatia, was co-attended by Montenegrin President Jakov Milatović. Milanović said Montenegro is a candidate moving toward the EU and should join, adding that its approach comes as the bloc seeks to become a “superstate” beyond its original design for free trade and movement .
Milatović stated Montenegro is firmly continuing its European path and that Croatia, as a neighboring EU member, holds a special role in the process. He called for building good-neighborly relations, open dialogue, and mutual trust, framing a shared European future as requiring political, economic, and cultural cooperation .
Both leaders addressed the audience in Zagreb’s Vatroslav Lisinski concert hall, where Milanović noted Montenegro’s 2006 independence referendum and its current function as a civic state of multiple nations and faiths. He closed his remarks with a verse by Petar Petrović Njegoš: “Zdravo tvoja glava na ramena, ti ćeš pušku drugu nabaviti” .
Milatović emphasized the importance of preserving identity, mutual respect, and the cultural ties between the two countries, citing shared Adriatic heritage and historical connections. He thanked the organizers, the Society of Montenegrins and Friends of Montenegro, for maintaining tradition and linking generations .
The 27th Lučindanski susreti also featured speeches by the president of the Montenegro Society in Zagreb, Alija Šukurica, Zagreb’s deputy mayor Luka Korlaet, Kotor mayor Vladimir Jokić, Montenegro’s Diaspora Minister Mirsad Azemović, and a representative of the Croatian Parliament .
