Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with the Government of Montenegro on (a) bilateral relations and (b) the maintenance of peace and stability in the Western Balkans.

The Foreign Secretary met Montenegrin Prime Minister Dritan Abazovic in the margins of a NATO meeting in early April. I had a meeting with Ambassadors and Chargé d'Affaires from the Western Balkans, including Montenegro, in April. The Prime Minister's envoy to the Western Balkans Lord Peach most recently visited Podgorica in December and met party leaders across the political spectrum. Lord Peach also met with Montenegrin President Djukanovic earlier in May. The UK's relationship with Montenegro has remained strong throughout political change; we stand together as NATO Allies with shared values underpinning aligned positions across defence, security and foreign policy and our work to promote and support peace and stability in Montenegro and in the region is supported by frequent direct contact between our Ambassador and the country's leaders.