Croatia's negotiating experience is invaluable for Montenegro, for which there is no alternative to EU membership, Montenegrin Foreign Minister Djordje Radulovic said in Zagreb on Tuesday.

He met with his Croatian counterpart Gordan Grlic-Radman, who reiterated Croatia’s support for Montenegro’s European prospects.

“Montenegro has made big progress and is certainly the likeliest EU member state,” Grlic-Radman said at a press conference.

Montenegro has opened all policy chapters and provisionally closed only three. The last one was opened when Croatia chaired the Council of the EU in the first half of 2020.

In its last progress report in October, Brussels again called on all six Western Balkan states to make progress in reforms, notably in the rule of law, press freedoms, and the fight against corruption and organised crime.

“There is no alternative to EU membership and Montenegro highly appreciates Croatia’s strong support for the European perspective of our country and the Western Balkans,” said Radulovic.

“On that path, the experience of Croatia, which is our nearest EU member states and has the freshest experience, is of invaluable importance,” he added.

According to the latest polls, 75% of Montenegro’s citizens support EU accession.