Skopje, 26 November 2021 (MIA) — North Macedonia and Montenegro have identical foreign policy goals and visions, and through NATO contribute to lasting peace, stability and prosperity in the entire region, President Stevo Pendarovski and Montenegrin Parliament Speaker Aleksa Bečić said at a meeting Friday. According to an official press release, President Pendarovski and Parliament Speaker Bečić expressed satisfaction with the countries' bilateral relations based on traditional friendship, respect and understanding and reaffirmed the two countries’ strong commitment to strengthening ties in all areas of mutual interest, and especially in business. Highlighting the need for developing inter-parliamentary cooperation, Pendarovski said North Macedonia highly appreciated the opportunity to exchange experiences with Montenegro toward achieving the countries’ strategic goal of membership in the European Union. Ahead of the General Affairs Council of the EU on Dec. 14, the President said the European integration of the Western Balkans should be one of the bloc’s key strategic and geopolitical priorities, which would provide an additional impetus for the Western Balkan countries’ ongoing reforms. mr/