ANKARA

Montenegro's ambassador to Turkey on Wednesday paid a visit to the headquarters of Anadolu Agency, Turkey's premier news source.

Perisa Kastratovic was welcomed at the headquarters in the capital Ankara by Serdar Karagoz, the agency's director general, and Yusuf Ozhan, the deputy director general and editor-in-chief.

In the meeting, Karagoz expressed his pleasure to host Kastratovic and talked about Anadolu Agency's global news presence and journalistic work.

Karagoz underlined there are no tensions between the countries and this situation can open the door to cooperation opportunities in the fields of culture, economy and tourism.

Karagoz stressed the importance of developing cooperation between the two countries in the field of tourism.

"As Anadolu Agency, we are ready to promote good relations between Turkey and Montenegro," he added.

Ambassador Kastratovic, for his part, highlighted the importance of improving relations between the two countries and the key role the media plays in this, especially the Anadolu Agency.

Praising good relations between Turkey and Montenegro, Kastratovic said throughout history, the two countries have maintained their relations based on mutual respect.

The envoy expressed his appreciation for Anadolu Agency's journalism activities in the Balkan countries.

Kastratovic said that Montenegro, a multicultural and multi-religious state, is the only country that has not seen war on its own territories during and after the disintegration of the former Yugoslavia, adding that it is a success story in this respect.

Turkey became one of the first countries to recognize Montenegro after declaring its independence in 2006 and it supported Montenegro's efforts to join NATO and the EU, Kastratovic noted.

Kastratovic said that nearly 40,000 Turkish tourists visited Montenegro annually before the coronavirus pandemic.

There is a regular flight from Istanbul to Montenegro once a day, he added.

Underlining that tourism revenues constitute %35 of Montenegro's total national income, Kastratovic said they have stepped up their efforts to revive tourism in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Nearly one-third of the population has been vaccinated, Kastratovic said, adding that the country aims to increase the immunity rate to %60 by the middle of the tourism season.

Kastratovic said that there are more than 3,000 companies established with Turkish capital in Montenegro, 500 of which are estimated to be actively working.

There are significant Turkish investments in the sectors of banking, iron and steel and tourism in the country, he noted.

Kastratovic said that the two countries have a common historical background, and they know and understand each other.

The activities of the Turkish cultural institution Yunus Emre Institute (YEE) and Turkey's state-run aid agency TIKA in Montenegro contribute to the bilateral ties between the two countries, he added.

Founded in 1920, Anadolu Agency is a leading global news agency operating across the world. It serves subscribers in more than 100 countries, including in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and Asia-Pacific.