‘Turkey to Montenegro is as close as Ankara...'
The April guest of the monthly dinner meetings organized by the Marmara Group Foundation was the Perisa Kastratovic, Ambassador of Montenegro to Ankara.
In his speech at the dinner, Ambassador Kastratovic emphasized that a new government has formed in Montenegro and this new government will follow a closer path for EU and NATO relations.
Bringing on the agenda that the existing economic relations between Turkey and Montenegro are expected to increase one hundred percent, Ambassador Perisa Kastratovic said, "I believe that Montenegro is as close as Ankara to Turkey in terms of both business and tourism visits." Also evaluating Montenegro as a center of attraction for Turkish investors, the Ambassador said: "Montenegro is an ideal destination for both sea and mountain sports."
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Kastratovic, Ambassador of Montenegro to Ankara:
"One third of foreign companies in Montenegro are owned by Turks."
Noting that good progress has been made in the cooperation between Montenegro and the Republic of Turkey, especially in the economic field, the Ambassador added that Turkish investors' interest in doing business in Montenegro has increased. "We see the Republic of Turkey as an important economic partner." he said.
The Ambassador stated that during President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's historic visit to Montenegro in August 2021, they focused on reaching an annual trade volume of 250 million USD by the end of 2022. "We are confident that together we can achieve this goal." he summed up his views.
Noting that around 3,200 Turkish companies are registered in Montenegro, the Ambassador also spoke highly of the work of Tosçelik, Net Holding, Gintaş, Turkish Airlines, Ziraat Bank and Global Port Management.
Stating that Montenegro's total foreign trade with the Republic of Turkey in the January-December 2019 period was 148 million Euros, the Ambassador said that goods exports were worth 13.3 million Euros and imports were 135 million Euros.
Regarding tourism, the Ambassador also stated that tourism contributes approximately 25% to Montenegro and that Montenegro was determined by the UNWTO as the 5th fastest growing tourism destination in the world in 2019. Emphasizing that there are about 2.6 million tourists, the Ambassador said; "In 2021, we reached 70 percent of this success this year, and this is very important for the revival of our economy." he said.
Emphasizing that the tourism sector in Montenegro is expected to show the potential to increase the number of tourists from Turkey with the start of direct flights from Istanbul to Podgorica and Tivat, the Ambassador said that an increasing trend was recorded in the number of visits and overnight stays by Turkish tourists in the previous five-year period
The Marmara Group Foundation's Iftar Dinner was attended by Deputy Assyrian Patriarch Yusuf Çetin, along with previous ministers and deputies, Istanbul Parliamentarian and Marmara Group Foundation Board of Trustees Member Şamil Ayrım.
The Consul Generals of Germany, Japan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Croatia, Bulgaria, Montenegro, Albania and Libya also took part.
