Prompt transfer of goods of vegetable origin, short delays at border crossings and intensification of the overall trade exchange is enabled by the agreement on phytosanitary cooperation, which was signed Friday in Skopje by the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management Ljupco Dimovski and his Montenegrin counterpart Tarzan Milosevic.

The signing of the agreement is a confirmation of the policy implemented by Macedonia at regional level, Minister Dimovski said.

"The deal will boost contacts between the two countries regarding phytosanitary control, thus mitigating transit, export and import of plants and vegetable products. At the same time, it will enable reports on the health condition of plants and their products, issued by accredited laboratories in Macedonia and Montenegro, to be fully accepted, which is quite crucial," Dimovski said after signing the document.

The agreement in fact opens the so called green line or green passage through which products will reach consumers in a very short time, he added.

"The signing of the agreement will make the work of businessmen much easier and will improve the cooperation," Montenegro's Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development said.

In 2011, Montenegro imported food products from Macedonia in amount of 12 million Euros.

Recently, Macedonia signed a phytosanitary cooperation accord with Serbia.