16 January 2019 - The Ministry of Defence of Montenegro will begin the construction of the operation centre for the supervision and protection of information of the Ministry and the Army in 2019, to improve the country's cyber defence mechanisms. Also, the Ministry plans to build a Cyber Polygon, a training place for cyber-attacks, which would be completed by 2028.

Montenegro's long-term defence plan explains that the development of capacities for cyber defence and the improvement of information protection measures through the application of information security standards both represent a significant challenge for the Ministry and the Army of Montenegro.

"In the coming period, the focus will be on building up Montenegro’s cyber defence capabilities, primarily through the construction of a Security Operation Centre (SOC). The Centre will represent the central monitoring point, in line with the NATO Initiative on the Future Mission Network (FMN),” reports local News Agency Pobjeda.

The Ministry plans to provide a preventive and proactive response to cyber incidents, by forming the computer incident response team (CIRT) of the Ministry of Defence and the Army.

"This will create preconditions for active contribution to cyber defence at the national level and therefore to the NATO's collective security system," as explained in the defence plan.

Military analyst Aleksandar Radić said that, when it comes to Montenegro, it is necessary to invest in "communication channels" that are protected. "NATO has defined what a member country must have; it is a condition for establishing a connection and receiving information from the Alliance. The communication channel has represented a big problem until now since you cannot be part of a network of confidential NATO data if you do not have a means of connection that is protected by certain regulations. This is what we are currently working on; it is a work in progress. The purchase of connection channels and spatial planning is the basis for progress because all confidential information must be entered in the central register - these are the rules, "Radić stated for Pobjeda.

He also explained that in the period when defence priorities were defined, cyber defence was subsequently added as one of the priorities. "And of course, when you analyse the requirements for communication channels, you can understand what a military integration into NATO actually includes. In practice, it is the creation of a "Connection System" that will be compatible with NATO and that will be safeguarded according to the NATO rules of the game," Radić concluded.

Source: TVCG

17 January 2019 - The President of Montenegro, Milo Đukanović and UAE Education Minister Hussain bin Ibrahim Al Hammadi held a meeting at the initiative of the hosts, where special emphasis on the importance of education was pointed out.

The President informed the interlocutor with the modern achievements of Montenegro and its position in the region and pointed out that the deficit of new knowledge and the application of new technologies was recognized as a key constraint for the further dynamic development of the country. Without new knowledge, in close connection with the use of modern scientific and technological achievements, there can be no progress for any society, said President Đukanoviić.

"We know that UAE has made a strong step forward in this direction and that is why it is essential for us to use excellent friendly relations, among other things, for transferring your experience to Montenegro," he said. Long-Term response to this problem in Montenegro is a radical reform of education, which takes time, but in the meantime, it is also essential to work hard to overcome this problem. He informed UAE Minister Al Hammadi that soon, he would form a special fund that would provide funds for a number of the most talented students for the country's scholarship to study at the most prestigious universities in the world. Since the Emirates have excellent results, he asked the Minister to share experiences with Montenegro regarding this project.

With satisfaction with the meeting and the statement that he had the honor to be in Montenegro, calling it hidden diamond, Minister Al Hammadi elaborated on how they embarked on education reform at the initiative of Crown Prince Mohammed. He said that they went from scratch, knowing that this is a lifelong process, and that applies not only to the university but to the whole system, starting from the kindergarten. He announced that he had been directly involved in the implementation of the reforms before the appointment as Minister, especially at the Khalifa University, which in the meantime occupied the 145th place in the world list of universities, with the ambience to be ranked among the top thirty.

"The secret of our success is to know that the buildings we have built and the money we have are not values of crucial importance, but that human capital is the most valuable asset in our society," said Minister Al Hammadi.

Regarding cooperation with Montenegro, he stressed that there are many ways to make it quicker and faster. I can immediately offer scholarships for Montenegrin students at their universities, or accept groups of high school students from Montenegro to study in their schools. They are ready to accept a delegation from Montenegro these days, who would meet on the spot what they are doing in this area. Speaking about the model of education, he said that from the kindergarten to the university they introduced the subject of designing new technologies, which no one else has in the world. They are ready to work together with Montenegrin colleagues to master the master plan and to help us not repeat the mistakes they made in the process of education reform. Minister Al Hammadi also offered training to the teaching staff, which can very quickly deliver results. He also informed President Đukanoviić in detail about the establishment and functioning of the Fund for Scholarship Scholarships in the world and said that it is entirely identical to the way presented by President Đukanoviić for the establishment of a similar fund in Montenegro.

16 January 2019 - Prime Minister of Montenegro Duško Marković and the President of the Municipality of Gusinje Anela Čekić opened a new municipal administrative centre with more than 1,000 square metres, worth more than 1.2 million EUR.

"This is truly a nice and functional facility for the accommodation and operation of the local administration, but also better services to the citizens of the Municipality of Gusinje. At the same time, today we talked about everything that we did in 2018, both from the budget of the local government and the capital budget. We can all agree that we completed a lot of work, but it is also of great importance to continue to improve communal, social and other aspects of infrastructure in the municipality of Gusinje," said the Prime Minister.

He added that the Government increased the capital budget for the Municipality of Gusinje to the amount of 1.3 million EUR this year, that the revenues of the Municipality of Gusinje were significantly increased on several grounds and that the Government plans to implement the Municipality Development Plan in the close future.

"Today I leave Gusinje extremely encouraged with the results I have seen. The actual results and the motivation of the representatives of the local administration of Gusinje are definitely more significant when I visit the city and determine the outcome myself. I can only conclude that it is imperative to talk to people in the field in person," said the Prime Minister.

Duško Marković is personally supervising the program of "economic citizenship". When asked to comment on the implementation of the program of acquiring the citizenship of Montenegro with investment, the Prime Minister said that this was a program aimed at securing private capital for the development and valorisation of resources and strengthening the country’s economy.

"You can see that the state allocates a significant part of the budget for development, but that is not enough and it's not right that only the state affects development with its money. We should create the possibilities of greater development with private capital, and for that reason, we launched the program of economic citizenship for investment purposes. Therefore, anyone who is, according to the rules we have defined, ready to invest in a project approved by the Government in the country, will receive the citizenship. With the new investments, projects will be developed; new jobs will open, wages will increase, we will reduce unemployment and of course all citizens will live better. That is the goal of this program. I am personally interested in the program being implemented in such a way and with that effect. If at some point we estimate that no such effect is induced, we will suspend the program. The goal is development, new jobs and higher quality of life of citizens. Anyone who is interested, even our people in the diaspora who do not have our citizenship, if they are ready to invest in a project in the country, will have the same opportunity like everyone else, "said Prime Minister Duško Marković.

January 11, 2019 - Executive Director of the Directorate for Defense Policy, Ivica Ivanovic, met in Riga with the Political Director of the Ministry of Defense of Latvia, Janis Karlsberg.

The interlocutors expressed readiness to improve the defense cooperation of the two countries in the field of defense, initiated in 2008 by signing a Cooperation Agreement in the field of defense.

In the focus of Ivanovic's and Karlsberg's talks, there was the upcoming visit to Latvia by the Minister of Defense of Montenegro, Mr. Predrag Boskovic, as well as the recent transfer of the Scout Department of the Army of Montenegro to the mission Enhanced Forward Presence (eFP). Ivanovic said that our country's presence in Latvia demonstrates the tendency to continually contribute to the overall efforts of the Alliance in strengthening the security of its citizens and territory, while also enhancing the operational capability and interoperability of the Army of Montenegro.

Ivanovic informed Karlsberg about the modernization of the Montenegrin Army's capacity, the progress of the implementation of the Goals' Capabilities, the promotion of Euro-Atlantic values in the Western Balkans region, through the implementation of NATO's “open door” policy, and the provision of support to the countries of the region in achieving their key foreign policy goals. He thanked for the support provided by the Republic of Latvia to the training of Montenegrin officers and Defense Ministry officials at the Baltic Defense College.

Karlsbergs stressed that Montenegro is proving to be a reliable and credible ally and stressed that Latvia would continue to support Montenegro and its efforts on the path to the European integration. He assessed that Montenegro's contribution to the eFP mission is another proof of Montenegro's commitment to strengthening global peace and stability.

The two colleagues exchanged views on contemporary security threats and stability of the Balkan and Baltic region, stressing the importance of jointly opposing the challenges through an active national contribution to the collective defense system.

Ivanovic also met with the Ambassador Edgars Skuj, General Director for Security Policy and International Organizations in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Latvia, with whom he exchanged views on the current security situation. It was concluded that only joint efforts and teaming up could eliminate security challenges on a global scale.

Text by CdM, on January 10th, 2019, read more at CdM

05 January 2019 - Prime Minister Duško Marković spoke on the occasion of the hundredth anniversary of Christmas and said that over one century it is possible to see the consequences that a profound split and conflict have left on the Montenegrin entity. Today it is important to understand the then misconceptions of one and the vision and the sacrifice of others in defense of the threatened rights to the Montenegrin name and uniqueness. The victims of the uprising and the severe suffering of Montenegrin families in the years of terror found peace in the renewal of state independence in 2006.

"On this day, a hundred years ago, a Christmas uprising took place. A rebellion started against the suppression of the Montenegrin name and the Montenegrin state. The defense of dignity and the right to self-belonging of the Montenegrin people started. These bright ideals, embedded in the foundation of the national and state entity of Montenegro, were defended by the insurgents under the slogan 'For Justice, honour and freedom of Montenegro'," Prime Minister Duško Marković said at Zetski dom at Cetinje.

The prime minister urged historians to explore one century ago, saying that the truth is needed in present-day Montenegro to overcome the divisions.

"Let historians summarise the facts about the tragic fate of our country at the end of the First World War. Let them explore the facts about the illegitimate Podgorica Assembly and the Christmas uprising, as a direct answer to its fatal decisions. Let them objectively see the causes and consequences of the events that led the Montenegrins to turn weapons on one another. This truth is necessary for modern Montenegro, today perhaps more than ever before. Not to deepen the division among us by celebrating the tragedy of a historical event, but precisely to bury those divisions on the foundations of the historical truth, once and for all," the Prime Minister noted.

Prime Minister Marković said that from a distance of one century, we see the consequences that such a deep split and conflict has left in the Montenegrin entity.

"I believe that today we need to understand the delusion of ones in difficult and troubled times, just like the vision and the sacrifice of others in defending the threatened right to a Montenegrin name and uniqueness. Not to equalise their historical role in the tragic Montenegrin history, because they placed themselves where they were taken by their misconceptions and their ideals, but to free present-day Montenegro of the darkness of these divisions. Deeply bowing to the heroic sacrifice of Christmas insurgents as well as the severe suffering of Montenegrin families in the years of terror that followed - today we can rightly say that those victims and these sufferings were granted their well-deserved serenity in the renewal of the Montenegrin name and the Montenegrin state on May 21, 2006" Prime Minister Marković emphasised.

The Prime Minister stated that modern Montenegro needs memory and respect of the glorious ancestors and their work, that without this foundation and the roadmap there would be no present-day Montenegro, its name would have disappeared.

"I am convinced, however, that the Montenegrin name cannot be preserved today only by remembering the glorious and tragic past. For its defence, for its permanent place on the map of the modern world, it takes much more than - let me say - "punching in the heroic chest". To survive, the Montenegrin national name and identity must face the temptations imposed by the civilised world today. And to succeed in this, we all need to have enough wisdom, sufficient vision and sufficient understanding for the others, so that we do not fall behind in this contemporary challenge," Prime Minister Duško Marković said.

"After the renewal of independence, we aimed our state path at European and Euro-Atlantic integration, we had in mind such Montenegro: capable of being, in a democratic and economic sense, an equal part of the community of the most developed countries and peoples," Prime Minister said.

"Today there is no longer any dilemma if we are going to succeed - some of these goals have already been achieved, and some are within hands reach. Never in our history, our country has had such a position and such a place in the international community. Also, Montenegro has never had the most dynamic economy in the Balkans, with the highest living standard in the region, with economic growth rates among the highest in Europe in recent years. And nobody brought those results out of somewhere to Montenegro. We did it ourselves: our dedicated administration, and our hard-working citizens. Therefore, I would like to see more respect, as well as from ourselves, to present day Montenegro and its perspective. And less distrust in our abilities and our institutions. Less unfounded concerns about our state dignity, and much less excitement for the peripheral deniers of all Montenegrin, or those who are fighting for their own, appropriating our century-old identity," the Prime Minister noted.

Prime Minister Duško Marković concluded a speech at the Solemn Academy on the occasion of the hundredth anniversary of the Christmas uprising by the assurance that independent, self-aware and brave Montenegro is the safest defence of the Montenegrin name and the state identity.

"In this way, we will best keep the memory of the famous ancestors and their sacrifices, from all Montenegrin battles and rebellions lifted - for freedom. Today, on the anniversary of the Christmas uprising, which sparks flashed here at the throne of Cetinje, I would like to say that the heroism of the insurgents obliges us to continue building Montenegro according to the level of modern civilization and democratic values by which is adorned. Today, I see in that the meaning of the message of the Christmas uprising: For justice, honour and freedom of Montenegro. Let it be eternal glory and thanks to Christmas insurgents!" Prime Minister Duško Marković concluded.

03 January 2019 - Minister of Foreign Affairs, Srđan Darmanović, says in the interview for CdM portal that Montenegro and China have great relations, but also points out that our state’s path is clear – EU membership and it has no alternative. Tensions between Podgorica and Moscow eased. He says that Montenegro is definitely the best EU candidate and announces opening the last chapter and as well as closing several already opened chapters.

CdM: Can China have an impact on the European path of Montenegro?

Darmanović: Opinion about what China wants is different across the world. There’s an opinion that China’s interests are related to business primarily, and that they resolve their issues thanks to their economic success. Another idea is that there cannot be economic impact without political intentions and ambitions. And a variant of this attitude is that China wants to divide the EU with its economic approach. On the other hand, the fact is that China has excellent cooperation with the EU and thinks that Europe is their most important foreign-policy partner. For now, we can’t tell that China disagrees with the EU policy.

However, an anecdote would probably best answer the question what China wants. During the administration of President Richard Nixon, at the beginning of the 1970s, there was opening towards the USA and China. One of the main people for holding talks was the State Secretary at the time, Henry Kissinger. And during some informal chats with the Chinese PM of the time, Zhou Enlai, Kissinger asked him: “What do you think about the French Revolution?” Enlai replied: “It’s still very early to have an opinion about that.” Therefore, we’ll probably see in the future what is that China wants. Our cooperation is, first end foremost, of economic nature. China has never intervened in our internal policy. It acknowledges our EU path. Just like it was the case with NATO. We are developing our relations with China but not at the expense of our primary national objective – European integration.

CdM: This year is an election year in the EU. Can that slow the integration process down?

Darmanović: The main question is what the outcome of these elections will be. There are those who think that the populist right parties will make a spectacular success and that they will challenge almost all aspects of traditional European policy. I’m not sure it’s going to be that way. I can imagine the success of right populist parties in the sense of the increasing number of their seats in the European Parliament. I think that traditional parties will be able to form coalition Government, that is, a commission based on the principles of moderate European values and that this Government will present the continuation of the policy conducted so far. That’s why I believe that during the Romanian presidency, we will open the last chapter and we are ready to close five or six chapters. I expect this trend of Montenegro being the leader of the EU agenda to continue.

CdM: How ready is Montenegro for the EU membership today?

Darmanović: Montenegro is without any doubt the readiest of all WB countries. But we still need to work more in many areas. Key areas are the rule of law and additional improvement of the judicial system. Also, there will be challenges in other areas as well. We opened Chapter 27, which is very important for us, essentially and symbolically. Essentially, because of environmental protection of one of the most important issues in every state. And, symbolically, it’s crucial because Montenegro is an ecological state.

CdM: What are relations between Montenegro and Russia like?

Darmanović: Bilateral relations are certainly calmer than they used to be. The overall situation is normal. President Vladimir Putin was among the first ones to congratulate us on presidential elections. Russia is still revising foreign policy, in which they want to make an impact on the change of powers in the world order, and they have spread their activities in several world regions. The policy of the so called hybrid warfare is still in force, and we are aware of that. However, Russia has accepted the fact that Montenegro is NATO member now. Official Moscow is in good relations with many NATO members, so I don’t see why couldn’t be the same with us. We have never wanted to have conflicts with anybody; we defend our right to be where we want to be.

CdM: What do you think about relations with Germany after Angela Merkel withdrew?

Darmanović: Angela Merkel is one of the greatest statesmen after World War II. When such a political colossus withdraws from the political scene, it must be felt. There’s always a question if the successor will be just as good. However, Germany is one of the most successful post-war democracies in Europe. Great democratic leaders managed Germany before Merkel, and I believe the same will be after Merkel. As far as we are concerned, we still count on German support in our EU journey. Relations between our states are great.

CdM: What are the key benefits of the NATO membership? Did it protect us from the recent turbulence?

Darmanović: NATO membership is the most important achievement after regaining independence. For the first time we became the state of the Western world. Apart of well known safety benefits, economic benefits are very important too. Investments in Montenegro increased, number of tourists broke all records… Their perception is that they come to a safe state.

Source: Cafe del Montenegro

03 January 2019 - During his official visit to Bijelo Polje, Prime Minister Duško Marković highlighted that he believes that 2019 will be the year of wage growth in both public and private sectors and that this growth should be a consequence of Montenegro's economic growth and economic success.

When asked to comment on the consequences of his statement made late last year at the Chamber of Commerce, when the PM called on employers and owners of companies to transfer some of the profits to salaries of employees, the Prime Minister noted that he has already received positive feedback signals.

On this occasion, Marković said that he took the opportunity to raise an important issue concerning the quality of life of all citizens of Montenegro, especially the employees of the companies above. In fact, over the previous two years, the Government has been dedicated to creating essential conditions for accelerated development, the growth of the economy and new jobs creation. In 2017, the Montenegrin economy grew at a rate of 4.7%, and 4.8% in the first nine months of 2018, and the state created 11000 new jobs. According to administrative data, the registered unemployment rate in Montenegro fell from 21% to 17.2%, whereas the LFS-based unemployment rate fell from 21% to 14.1%. “Therefore, the year 2019 has to be the year of continuation of such a trend, but also of the improvement of the living standards of citizens in Montenegro, and especially the employees, not only in the public administration, but in the private sector as well," said the Prime Minister.

Marković added that the data he previously explained is the reason he told employers and owners of companies that Montenegro has improved the business ambience, created conditions for the profit of their companies, but that some of that profit should now be passed on to the standard of employees.

The PM is hopeful that 2019 will be the year of wage growth for employees in both public and private sectors, that in 2019 Montenegro will create preconditions for the growth of pensions and that 2019 will bring improvement of living standards for employees in education, and other sectors. “We will do everything to put the grey economy under control, to make people pay taxes and contribute to the State, thus creating the conditions for transferring part of that profits that Montenegro creates from the growth of its economy into citizens' pockets," Prime Minister Duško Marković stressed.

02 December 2019 - The Government of Montenegro reviewed the Draft Law Amending the Law on Public Order and Peace, submitted to the Parliament of Montenegro by its Deputy Speaker Genci Nimanbegu, and in that regard, gave Opinion in the text prepared by the Ministry of the Interior. Amendments proposed by the Government are related to the introduction of the obligation to stand up for the national anthem, which, together with the penal provisions concerning state symbols, becomes an integral part of this Law.

01 January 2019 - Prime Minister Duško Marković said in an interview for a special holiday edition of Pobjeda daily that there is no compromise on the State and the issues that are of interest to all its citizens. We have determined, the Prime Minister pointed out, the directions of development that are focused on the European quality of life. 

"At the level at which these two interests coincide, any possibility of compromise with those who think or wish contrary to interest of Montenegro and all of its citizens, regardless of political commitment, national or religious affiliation, ceases. If it were different, then we would talk about some other values, and that cannot happen in today's Montenegro," PM Marković stressed.

When asked about the social consensus within Montenegro and the dialogue, the Prime Minister said that the intention of his permanent invitation for dialogue was that opposition subjects should be distanced from their commitment to political ghettoization, which naturally does not contribute to the prosperity of society and the welfare of citizens. 

"Only in institutions we can represent the interests of citizens, and I am convinced that the boycott, regardless of motives, is undermining the political system and democracy," PM Marković noted. 

Recalling the complex political situation since the beginning of the Government's mandate and the need to deal with fiscal challenges, Prime Minister Marković said that the results were achieved in terms of consolidating public finances. 

"The robust economic growth of 4.7 percent in 2017 and 4.9 in the first nine months of 2018 indicate that in the past two years we have been successful and that we have largely solved the essential issues of relevance to the economic progress of the country," the Prime Minister said, reminding that the number of employees has increased by over 11,000, that the gross income per capita has increased and the stability of public services has been ensured. 

In order to achieve these indicators it was important, the Prime Minister added, to improve the administration and institutional system, remove barriers and improve the business environment, and integration into NATO and negotiations with the EU gave significant contribution. 

When asked when citizens will start to feel the positive effects of the results he is talking about, the Prime Minister said that he is convinced that Montenegrin citizens are already feeling the effects of a two-year strong economic growth. 

"Our focus was on directing the effects of economic growth on further building of social infrastructure and improving the quality of public services order to improve the standard of living of citizens. In particular, we have worked to ensure that economic growth is reflected in an increase in employment, while preserving the level of salaries, pensions and social benefits in the country, at a time of fiscal consolidation. We succeeded in that," he said, adding that the quality of life is not only determined by the salary. 

The Prime Minister also spoke of many other benefits that the thousands of citizens gained through numerous incentives, for example, in education and agriculture. He said that over 12,000 pupils, students or their parents felt concrete financial benefits in the past two years. 

Pointing to the fact that agro-budget is growing year after year, PM Marković said that we have dozens of programmes and incentives for farmers. He said that about 10 thousand producers were supported with around EUR 10 million through the programmes of direct payments. 

"In the next two years of the mandate, the Government will work to create the preconditions for continuing economic growth and its even stronger impact on increasing the employment and income of citizens, i.e. the growth in the average salary in the country and pensions. We carefully look at possible ways of increasing the minimum wage," Prime Minister emphasised. 

Furthermore, he talked about the need to fight the grey economy and in that context announced the amendment of several tax laws, but also stressed the need for synergy between the institutions in charge of this area, that is, the inspection, the police and the prosecution.

PM Marković also spoke about the EU integration process and stated that the opening of the chapter Environment is a great success for Montenegro: "At the same time, it is a great obligation, but also an opportunity to use our potentials and preserve the environment. This is the essence of negotiation and approximation process with EU values." 

We are guided, as he said, by the quality, not only the speed, but we will not ignore the importance of the dynamics of progress along that path. He pointed out that opening of chapter 8 is a priority, but also an opportunity for an even stronger dialogue with the European Commission and Member States on the process of closing the chapter. 

"The European Commission and the Member States stated 2025 as the possible date for a new enlargement. We will certainly do everything that is up to us to make the dynamics as successful as possible and make this date a reality," the Prime Minister said. 

Responding to questions about legalization, PM Marković said he was satisfied with the number of reported illegally built facilities. He stated that the ultimate goal of legalization was not only to list illegally built facilities, but also to legalize and invest the fees for utility planning in the infrastructure. 

He pointed out that new illegal construction will absolutely not be tolerated, and that we notice that local governments and their administration are the main point of slowing down these processes, because they do not use possibilities given by the Law. 

Asked whether the concession at the Airports of Montenegro will definitely be given in the next year, and whether he expects this to provoke a crisis of coalition government, the Prime Minister said that the state of the infrastructure is a serious obstacle for further dynamic development and that investment in it has no alternative. 

"In particular, we do not have time to arbitrate on different political approaches. In this context, the urgent development and valorization of the airport is a necessity, precisely because close to two-thirds of those who come to Montenegro come through our airports. Do we need any further elaboration," the Prime Minister concluded.