PODGORICA – Head of the RYCO Local Branch Office in Montenegro Mr Edin Koljenović met with the newly appointed Ambassador of France to Montenegro Mr Christian Thimonier, on Wednesday, 24 February. The meeting took place at the premises of the French Embassy in Podgorica.
Mr Koljenovic took this opportunity to present the achievements of RYCO and its office in Montenegro from the period of its establishment within the Berlin Process in 2016 onwards.
He pointed out that in the past few years, RYCO managed to achieve many tangible results by diligently working on building a more enabling environment for young people to engage in activities that strengthen mutual understanding and reconciliation in the region.
Mr Koljenović added that besides the implementation of the regional grant schemes, the Local Branch Office in Montenegro was devoted to building and cherishing strong partnerships with important national and international stakeholders at the local level, such as the one with the French Embassy.
The key results of this fruitful cooperation are mirrored in the number of direct opportunities provided to youth from Montenegro and the region who had a chance to participate in intercultural events such as the Intercultural Youth Hubs, the Balkan Academy of Music and youth camps on “Intercultural Competencies in Sports” which took place in different parts of Montenegro.
Speaking of the importance of this cooperation, Mr Christian Thimonier reaffirmed the strong support for RYCO, adding that the organization presents the counterpart of the Franco-German Youth Office (OFAJ) in the Western Balkans. He underlined that RYCO provides strong support to young people from the region and enables them to meet and work together on common projects, all for the sake of building a better region that fits youth needs.