Just one week after the departure of French aviso “Commandant Birot” from Montenegro, U.S. Navy guided missile frigate USS KLAKRING FFG42 arrived yesterday, on Monday April 13, 2009 at around 09:00am, for a four-day port visit to Bar, coming from Batumi on the Black Sea (Georgia), as part of the U.S. military-technical co-operation program with the Navy of Montenegro.

Upon arrival, USS KLAKRING Commanding Officer, Commander Scott M. Smith, was welcomed by a delegation of his Montenegrin Navy counterparts, headed by Captain Željko Hercegovac, Deputy Commander of the Navy of Montenegro.
Subsequently, accompanied by Mr. Stephen L. Kontos, U.S. Embassy’s Deputy Chief of Mission, and Lieutenant Colonel Gregory J. Broecker, U.S. Embassy’s Defense and Army Attaché, Commander Smith and his Montenegrin counterparts were invited to a welcome reception hosted by the Mayor of Bar, Mr. Žarko Pavićević (DPS), and representatives of the Municipality, including Mrs. Branka Nikezić (DPS), President of the Municipal Assembly.

In their respective addresses, at two days of the joint commemorations marking the XXXth Anniversary of 15 April 1979 Earthquake in Montenegro, hosts and guests reciprocally praised the long-dated warm friendship between the two countries, the help provided by the American people and the U.S. Government in facing the post-earthquake social, economic and cultural disaster, and the today’s firm support of the United States along Montenegro’s path to join the European Union and Euro-Atlantic structures.

Today, this Tuesday April 14, 2009, on the occasion of the third trip to Montenegro this year of Admiral Mark P. Fitzgerald, Commander of NATO Allied Joint Force Command in Naples, Italy, and Commander of U.S. Naval Forces Europe and Africa, the Prime Minister of Montenegro, H.E. Mr. Milo Đukanović — accompanied by T.Exc. the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr. Milan Roćen, the Minister of Defense, Mr. Boro Vučinić, the President of the Parliament, Mr. Ranko Krivokapić, and several senior Montenegrin defense officials — paid a visit to USS KLAKRING, wishing to honour the growing partnership between the U.S. and Montenegro. The President, H.E. Mr. Filip Vujanović, was also present in Bar.
After a military parade on the quay, Prime Minister Đukanović was successively welcomed aboard by Admiral Fitzgerald, Commander Smith, the U.S. Ambassador in Podgorica, H.E. Mr. Roderick W. Moore, and his deputy Mr. Kontos.

In his welcome remarks to the Montenegrin Prime Minister, Admiral Fitzgerald pointed out that the United States “are very proud to have Montenegro as a partner, and this U.S. ship is a symbol of that friendship between two very proud and sovereign Nations. We look forward to working closely together in the future.” The reception aboard USS KLAKRING was also an opportunity to discuss at the highest level, in a relaxed and very friendly atmosphere, a wide range of projects, from bilateral military-technical co-operation, including joint boarding, navigation and engineering training, to improvement of community relations.

UPDATE
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On the eve of USS KLAKRING’s departure from Montenegro, its Commanding Officer, Commander Smith, was received today, this Wednesday April 15, by the Commander of the Navy of Montenegro, Captain Rajko Bulatović. This relaxed meeting was an opportunity to exchange experience and to analyse possibilities of further improving U.S. military-technical co-operation and partnership with Montenegrin armed forces in general, and the Navy in particular. “Such meetings build trust and understanding in how each other’s navies operate and help to establish peer relationships that will last for years,” said Captain Bulatović afterwards.