Deputy Prime Minister Aleksa Bečić conducted a working visit to the U.S. State Department, where he engaged in meetings with Colleen Hyland, Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary of State, and Stanley L. Brown, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Political-Military Affairs.

Bečić underscored Montenegro and its 44th Government’s resolute commitment to three principal goals: maintaining the nation’s status as a trustworthy NATO member, achieving complete EU membership by 2028, and serving as a stable political and security link in the Western Balkans.

We are confronted with distinct obligations and measurable outcomes. All negotiation tasks are attainable by the end of 2026, paving the way for Montenegro to secure full membership in the European Union by 2028. Throughout this path, security will serve as the foundation, while the rule of law will act as the assurance, stated Bečić.

He emphasized his goal to ensure Montenegro boosts its defense expenditures in accordance with U.S. administration recommendations, updates the Armed Forces of Montenegro, and continues full alignment with the EU’s foreign and security policies.

Bečić also highlighted Montenegro’s crucial involvement in the international operation “General,” conducted in collaboration with the DEA, FBI, Europol, and the Australian Federal Police. This operation resulted in the prosecution and arrest of leaders and senior members of international drug cartels engaged in the trafficking of around 2.5 tons of cocaine, demonstrating Montenegro’s robust capabilities as a global ally in the battle against organized crime.

A significant emphasis was placed on the ongoing historic vetting process within the Montenegrin Police Directorate, which has already led to the suspension of approximately 100 police officers, along with numerous additional security checks, property investigations, and contact audits currently ongoing.

We are reforming institutions not for political supremacy, but for institutional empowerment. The badge must be held by the honorable—no one else, Bečić affirmed.

After his remarks at the Southeast Europe Transatlantic Forum in the U.S. Congress and meetings with congressional members and State Department officials, Bečić continued his visit to the United States with planned meetings at the Pentagon and the FBI, with the results to be shared with the public in due course.