Governor Mills Holds Bilateral Meetings with Montenegro’s Top Leaders

What this means

Governor Janet Mills and Major General Diane Dunn met on September 16 with Montenegro’s president, prime minister, foreign minister and defense minister during the 20th-anniversary visit for the Maine–Montenegro National Guard partnership. The discussions covered defense cooperation, military readiness, economic and educational ties and the future of the state-partnership program. The delegation also met Maine National Guard members participating in Common Challenge 2026 and U.S. Embassy personnel.

Official release

Source material from Maine Governor’s Office. The wording below is the issuer’s statement.

September 16, 2026

Governor Mills and Major General Dunn have dinner with Maine National Guardsmen currently in Montenegro for training exercise

Podgorica, MONTENEGRO – On the first full day of their visit to Montenegro in commemoration of the 20thAnniversary of the Maine-Montenegro National Guard Partnership, Governor Janet Mills and Major General Diane Dunn held bilateral talks with President Jakov Milatović, Prime Minister Milojko Spajić, Foreign Minister Ervin Ibrahimović, and Defense Minister Dragan Krapović.

Governor Mills, Major General Dunn, and the Montenegrin officials discussed defense cooperation, readiness, economic and educational collaboration, and the future of the 20-year Maine-Montenegro National Guard State Partnership.

“I thank President Milatović, Prime Minister Spajić, Foreign Minister Ibrahimović, and Defense Minister Krapović for their warm welcome and gracious hospitality. Our meetings reaffirmed the deep partnership between Maine and Montenegro and our shared commitment to build on it in the years ahead,” said Governor Mills. “For two decades, this relationship has connected our people, strengthened our security, and created meaningful opportunities for collaboration. I look forward to continued conversations this week about how Maine and Montenegro can advance shared interests and ensure our partnership remains strong for generations to come.”

“The partnership with Maine is part of the strong and long-term relationship between Montenegro and the United States. We want to translate the existing cooperation into even more concrete projects, investments, and opportunities for our citizens," said President Milatović. “The U.S. is an important strategic partner of Montenegro. Our goal is for the political alliance to be accompanied by stronger economic cooperation, more investments, and projects that accelerate the development of Montenegro.”

“Twenty years of partnership between Montenegro and Maine demonstrate the importance of this cooperation in developing our defense capabilities and strengthening the Armed Forces of Montenegro as an institution. This year is particularly significant as we also mark 20 years since Montenegro restored its independence and 250 years of American independence,” said Foreign Minister Ibrahimović.

Governor Mills and Major General Dunn arrived in Montenegro yesterday afternoon, where members of the Maine National Guard are participating in Common Challenge 2026, a multinational mountain training exercise focused on strengthening interoperability, readiness, and cooperation among partner nations. Last night, the Governor and Major General Dunn had dinner with Maine National Guardsmen and U.S. Embassy Podgorica Chargé d’affaires A.I. Michael Keays.

Maine’s partnership with Montenegro was established in 2006 through a bilateral affairs agreement between the U.S. Department of Defense, the State of Maine, and the Government of Montenegro. Through the National Guard State Partnership Program, 54 U.S. states and territories are linked with one or more nations to collaborate on military, security, and disaster response capacities.

In June 2006, Montenegro formally declared independence from Serbia. Just six months later, the Balkan nation joined the National Guard State Partnership program, establishing a formal partnership agreement with Maine. In addition to regular joint training exercises, Maine and Montenegro have stepped up to help each other – including Montenegrin soldiers traveling to Maine to assist with engineering projects, and Maine Guardsmen traveling to Montenegro to aid in response to cyberattacks. Montenegro has been a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) since 2017.

Governor Mills is the second Governor of Maine to visit Montenegro.

The Governor’s Office will continue to share updates and photos from the Governor’s visit to Montenegro over the coming days. The Governor will return to Maine over the weekend.

Release text attributed to Maine Governor’s Office. Consult the official publication for any subsequent corrections or updates.