Budva (Montenegro), 8 May 2026. Participation of a representative of the IAO in the 20th anniversary plenary session of PAM

Upon invitation, the member of the Montenegrin parliamentary delegation to the Interparliamentary Assembly on Orthodoxy (IAO), Mr. Dragan Bojović, represented the IAO at the 20th Plenary Session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean (PAM) and the 1st Summit of Speakers and Presidents of Parliament of PAM Members and Partners, held in the city of Budva, Montenegro.

The IAO representative addressed the participants with a greeting message on behalf of the IAO Secretary General, Dr. Maximos Charakopoulos, and the President of the IAO General Assembly, Mr. Ioan Vulpescu. In his speech, he underlined, inter alia, that “we are following with anxiety the prolonged stalemate of the war in Ukraine, following the Russian invasion, as well as the war in the Middle East, with its humanitarian, energy and economic side effects that negatively affect the global community, and in particular the Mediterranean area. […] there is an urgent need to strengthen international institutions that foster honest dialogue and diplomacy based on international law.

PAM is undoubtedly one such institution, which constitutes an authentic workshop where relationships of trust are forged on a daily basis, especially in the fragile Mediterranean region. Because, as has been proven, since 2005, PAM has been a reliable factor that utilizes dialogue and diplomacy as means to resolve differences and promote the well-being of the peoples of the Mediterranean.

In addition, PAM has established a network of cooperative relations with international organizations and inter-parliamentary organizations in the region to promote common interests. In this context, the Memorandum of Understanding that PAM co-signed with the IAO in 2019, which establishes the cooperation between the two institutions to promote intercultural and interfaith dialogue, is also included”.