09 September 2019 - President of Montenegro, Milo Đukanović met with Matthew Palmer, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs and the newly appointed Western Balkans Representative for the United States State Department, who is on an official visit to Montenegro, on September 9th.

During the meeting, President Đukanović congratulated Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Palmer on his appointment to this responsible mission, which represents a confirmation of the continued US presence in the region. He emphasized the importance of being such a good connoisseur of the Balkans. “You can count on the absolute partnership of Montenegro and mine personally so that we can all do what is best for the region”, Đukanović said on this occasion.

The President also stressed that both sides share initial assessments of the problems in the region: insufficient peace and stability and a lack of clear vision of the prosperity of the region. “The path to overcoming the aforementioned problems is integration, and the Western Balkans does not have a desirable perspective without integration, which is why we strongly advocate enlargement policy”, Đukanović said. The President reminded that by its example, Montenegro shows that such a policy is delivering results, which is reflected by the country's membership in NATO and what makes this country the aspirant who has moved the farthest in the EU accession process.

“In addition to a clear vision, we also have a growing capacity to adopt reforms and overcome challenges, seeking to affirm regional cooperation as a good path to integration. It is very important for Europe to recognize its responsibility and strategic interest in integrating the Balkans”, the President said, noting that everyone in the region, together with partners like the US, should encourage Europe to begin a more active policy towards the WB as soon as possible.

According to the official statement by the PR office of The President, Đukanović took the opportunity to once again thank Washington for its support to Montenegro, especially in the area of ​​defence and security, and said that the priorities for the coming period were to strengthen the cybercrime and hybrid threats defence network. The President expressed interest in enhancing economic relations and attracting more US investment in Montenegro.

Palmer also expressed his satisfaction with the meeting, pointing out that it is no coincidence that Montenegro is the first destination he visited at the beginning of his term as our country is a leader and an example for others in the region. He briefed the President on the priorities of his mission: encouraging the opening of EU accession negotiations for Skopje and Tirana, returning to the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue and seeking solutions for the functionality of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Palmer emphasized that he sees Montenegro as a partner in these processes, especially given the good relations it has with the countries of the region.

President Đukanović agreed on the choice of priorities, saying that the interests of Montenegro are identical and added that the forces in the region that are aspiring to Europe should be more strongly supported in order to encourage the WB to further integration.

08 September 2019 - The first layer of asphalt surfacing was laid yesterday on the 500 meters section of Moračica Bridge. Everything is done in accordance with the design and modern execution procedures.

The works are being overseen by Monteput, Ingerop, DKTP and competent laboratories. The asphalt surfacing is made in three layers 7+7+4 centimeters thick and is made of polymer modified bitumen.

The first BNS layer is completed today and a total of 950 tons were installed.

Read more news about business in Montenegro at TMN's dedicated page.

08 September 2019 - Establishing a Film Commission, as well as strengthening legislation and other infrastructure in the field of film industry, will give Montenegro a new chance to develop, promote and valorize our undisputed potentials, Prime Minister of Montenegro Duško Marković said at a meeting with the famous Italian actor Gabriel Garko.

"We want to improve the film industry, to enrich Montenegro with film content. Therefore, it is important to us that, through your membership in the Film Commission, experience and image, you help us achieve these goals," Prime Minister of Montenegro Duško Marković said and added that he hoped to intensify cooperation with the Italian film sector.

The Prime Minister of Montenegro Duško Marković considered the provision of long-term sources for financing the cinematography particularly important. He recalled that for the first time in the history of our cinematography, new Montenegrin films were part of the official selections of world festivals in Montreal, Cannes and Venice, and our young directors were granted with significant international accolades, as stated in the report of the Office of the Prime Minister of Montenegro.

Garko thanked for the confidence and the opportunity to contribute to the development of Montenegrin cinematography. He pointed out that Montenegro, because of its natural beauty and the overwhelming proximity of the mountains to the sea is interesting to everyone in the cinematography.

The meeting was also attended by Minister of Culture of Montenegro Aleksandar Bogdanović, who presented projects through which the Government wants to encourage producers and co-producers to come to Montenegro and invest in this sector in Montenegro.

Garko is paying working visit to Montenegro, during which he will be presented with the country's capacities in the film industry, potential for foreign filming and incentive measures for foreign producers.

Read more news about lifestyle in Montenegro at TMN's dedicated page.

07 September 2019 - Enlargement policy should be expression of common and honest commitment of the European Union and the Western Balkans, said the President of the Committee on International relations and Emigrants, Andrija Nikolić, at the Inter-parliamentary Conference for the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) and the Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP), which was held in Helsinki as part of Finland’s EU presidency.

In a panel dedicated to current political developments in the Western Balkans region and the EU integration process, Nikolić said that Brussels should demonstrate a more decisive approach in pursuing enlargement policy, with a clearer policy towards the Western Balkans. He also stressed that he believes that EU session in October will be a signal for opening negotiation s with North Macedonia and Albania, as well as for opening last negotiating chapter with Montenegro. “That would restore optimism of candidate countries”, reads the statement of the Parliament of Montenegro.

In addition to MP Nikolic, the delegation of the Parliament of Montenegro was composed of members of the Security and Defence Committee, Luiđ Škrelja and Boris Mugoša, and a member of the Committee on International Relations and Emigrants, Ervin Ibrahimović.

The Inter-parliamentary Conference was opened by the Speakers of the Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defence of the Parliament of Finland, Mika Niikko and Ilkka Kanerva, and the introductory part was addressed by: Finnish President Sauli Niinistö, President of the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the European Parliament David McAllister and The High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Federica Mogherini.

The conference was dedicated to various topics: “Stronger Europe for European future”, “Renewal of Trans-Atlantic unity in global relations”, “Exchange of views on EU priorities in CFSP-CSDP”  and “Where is the EU defence going: Strength for peace or Military strength?”

07 September 2019 - The Ministry of Culture fully supports the initiative for building the monument in the memory of Queen Jelena in Podgorica, having in mind the fact she is remembered in Montenegro and Italy for so many good deeds and has played a significant role in the history of both countries, said the Montenegrin Minister of Culture, Aleksandar Bogdanović, during the meeting with Prince Emanuele Filiberto of Savoy.

Culture Minister Bogdanović hosted Prince Emanuele Filiberto of Savoy, who is in an official visit to Montenegro, on September 7th. The meeting tackled many topics in relations to culture, possible ways of cooperation as well as joint activities that would affirm deeds of Queen Jelena of Savoy, the Ministry said in a statement.

Maintained through numerous historical moments, the exceptional relations between Montenegro and Italy, among which the relations between their royal dynasties should definitely be highlighted, make good grounds for future cooperation, concluded Bogdanović and Filiberto.

Mr Bogdanović reflected on the current joint activities of Italy and Montenegro, emphasizing that an exhibition dedicated to the Montenegrin Princess is planned for the next year.

“In addition, the meeting tackled the activities of the Ministry of Culture on the occasion of 140 years of establishing diplomatic relations between Montenegro and Italy,” said the Ministry in their official statement.

Minister Bogdanović and Prince Emanuele also discussed ways of possible cooperation and artistic exchange between the two countries.

Prince Emanuele said that he was pleased that he had encountered a number of constructive conversations during his stay in Montenegro, and that culture was a field for which he, as a writer, was particularly interested. In this context, he particularly emphasized the fact that Italian artists are actively engaged in supporting Montenegrin culture and creativity.

The Prince also expressed special appreciation for the initiatives concerning Queen Jelena, pointing out that the Italian people especially appreciated her historic role and her many benevolences. Prince Emanuele highlighted that he was ready to support all future joint projects of Montenegro and Italiy and that he would be happy to return to Montenegro.

07 September 2019 - Works on the Bar-Boljare motorway are all going according to plan, and the first layer of asphalt surfacing was laid on September 6th on the 500 metres section of Moračica Bridge, stated the Public Relations Service of The Government of Montenegro.

According to the official data provided by the Government, each construction segment is done in accordance with the planned design and modern execution procedures. The motorway construction works are overseen by Monteput, Ingerop, DKTP and competent laboratories.

In terms of the first layer of asphalt surfacing, which was laid a few days ago, the work was complete in three layers 7+7+4 cm thick and is made of polymer modified bitumen. The first BNS layer was completed on September 7th, when 950 tons were installed.

The construction of the motorway will significantly reduce travel time, since people will travel 30-40 minutes from Podgorica to Kolašin instead of an hour and a half as they do now. Also, high-quality and secure roads can bolster road safety even though this issue has been quite complex in terms of factors that affect the level of safety. “Having in mind that the priority Smokovac–Mateševo section represents an alternative to the route from Podgorica to Kolašin (the canyon Platije), the need for its construction is even greater,” said Veselin Salamadija, a specialist in traffic engineering and president of the Group for the transport of passengers and goods by road in the Chamber of Commerce of Montenegro, in a recent interview for CdM.

As TMN previously reported, the most expensive bridge on the highway priority section, Smokovac-Mateševo, is the Moračica bridge, and the construction cost is estimated at around 74,5 million EUR, said the representatives of the Ministry of Transport and Maritime Affairs of Montenegro. When complete, Moračica will be 360 metres long and 23,4 metres wide. Five pillars will support it. The range from the bottom of the Morača riverbed to carriageway construction will amount to more than 200 meters. 

First highway section is expected to be finished in the middle of 2020.

05 September 2019 - During his official visit to London, Minister of Transport and Maritime Affairs Osman Nurković took part in the two – day International conference on road safety on the topic of technology and innovation in the field of road safety with special emphasis on reducing the number of traffic accidents that result in serious injury or death cases and new systems of security that can be applied in order to achieve mentioned goal. Therefore, the conference presented new developments in the area of autonomous vehicles, electric and environmentally friendly forms of transport, as well as best practice and expertise related to global challenges in the road safety area. The conference was opened by Baroness Vere of Norbiton, British Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Transport Charlotte Vere. 

During his stay in London, Minister Nurković met with representatives of the British companies that are interested in investing and doing business in Montenegro. Special attention is given to the meeting with representatives of the Bechtel, a company that for years has been operating successfully in the Western Balkans region. During the meeting with Minister Nurković, representatives of this company expressed interest in the project of the remaining shares construction of Bar – Boljare highway, the project to build a high speed road along the coastline of the Adriatic - Ionian corridor, furthermore, the meeting discussed the possibilities related to the reconstruction of the Bar – Vrbnica railway, reports Ministry of Transport and Maritime Affairs of Montenegro.

In addition to the Bechtel, Minister Nurković also met with six British companies that are interested in offering its advisory and consulting services on the projects of strategic priorities for the Government of Montenegro. Minister Nurković emphasised that for Montenegro, tourism promotion is significantly important, which is directly related to the investments and transport infrastructure construction. After discussion of the priority projects in the area of infrastructure in Montenegro, Minister Nurković invited all interested British companies to invest and do business in Montenegro. The meeting organised by British Expertise International (BEI) with the support of the British Embassy in Montenegro, in addition to the representatives of BEI, representatives of the companies the WYG, the Roughton International, the IMC Worldwide Limited, the Beckett Rankine and the Strategy International also attended the meeting.

During the bilateral meeting, Ministar Nurković and Baroness Vere signed an Agreement on international road traffic and the Agreement relating to the air transport. 

Ambassador Borislav Banović and independent consultant Bilsana Bibić also attended the meeting.

Read more news about business in Montenegro at TMN's dedicated page.

05 September 2019 - President of Montenegro Milo Đukanović received a delegation from the United States Congress, led by Senator Lindsey Graham, who is visiting Montenegro.

President Đukanović thanked him for visiting and for the attention the United States and Congress paid to Montenegro, as well as Washington's continued support, which he said contributed significantly to maintaining peace, consolidating multiethnic harmony, strengthening democracy and implementing social reforms. He especially thanked him for his support for Montenegro's accession to NATO, which is the most important achievement of our society in recent history.

"When we were rebuilding our independence, we said that we wanted to bring Montenegro back to European and Euro-Atlantic values. We had a clear vision, and it proved to have a real strength to achieve this," said Đukanović and particularly emphasized the role of Congress in this, especially the recently deceased Senator John McCain.

President Đukanović also briefed the congressmen on the current situation in Montenegro, emphasizing commitment to the European and Euro-Atlantic value system, perseverance in defense of multiethnic democracy, continuous strengthening the rule of law and contribution to the stability of the region, as well as maintaining dynamic economic growth and improving the quality of life of people, as his office reported.

"We want to see more investors from the US and other NATO countries, aware that we are also getting new quality and standards," pointed out President of Montenegro.

The President also stressed the importance of more dynamic integration of the WB into the EU, as the most reliable guarantee of overcoming lagging behind, strengthening stability and prosperity, which is also crucial in maintaining the enthusiasm of the EU and its members for enlargement policy.

"We firmly believe that WB's place is in the EU and that the region can become an integral part of the European value system. The task of everyone in the region is to convince the EU of the importance of the integration process," Đukanović noted. 

He also underlined the importance of maintaining Euro-Atlanticism and strengthening NATO, to which Montenegro, as a responsible member, will make a full contribution.

Senator Graham and other members of the delegation thanked the President for receiving with compliments on Montenegro's leadership and achievements, her ability to find her own identity that would be aligned with the West in a very problematic environment. In that sense, full readiness of the Congress to help strengthen the role of Montenegro in the region was expressed, confirming and strengthening the decisions it made and their concrete implementation. Commenting on information on activities in the area of ​​reform and modernization of Montenegrin society, they congratulated Montenegro on all significant efforts and encouraged further progress.

All members of the delegation emphasized Senator McCain's attitude towards Montenegro, noting that this visit also had a sentimental line.

US Congressmen were also interested in further promoting the benefits of NATO membership, the influence of third parties, as well as its economic development, and expressed their readiness for full cooperation and support in this regard.

The US Congressional delegation also included the wife of Senator McCain, who, in front of the McCain Institute recently hosted by President Đukanović, praised Montenegro's consistency in the fight for human rights, anti-trafficking, and offered expert and other co-operation in order to improve further Montenegro's rating, which was gladly accepted.

Ambassador Judy Rising Reinke also participated in the meeting.

Read more news about politics in Montenegro at TMN's dedicated page.

04 September 2019 - Montenegro has done a good job and I congratulate you on the results achieved on the fiscal side and in the financial sector, Executive Director of the Belgian – Dutch Constituency in the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Anthony De Lannoy stated at the meeting with Prime Minister Duško Marković.

“You've been successful and we hope you will continue to have success”, Executive Director De Lannoy said.

Prime Minister Duško Marković thanked the IMF for the continued support and partnership, noting some of the Government's successes in the last two and a half years, namely high rates of economic growth, deficit and public debt reduction, income growth, financing current spending from source revenues, as well as an increase in the number of employees and a significant decrease in unemployment.

"We are aware that the long – term sustainability of the economy is based on healthy finances. In the next period, we will continue with the activities in order to achieve this goal," PM Marković stated.

According to the report by the Government of Montenegro, the Prime Minister pointed to the strong commitment and activities of the Government in combating the grey economy in all areas and the close cooperation of the competent authorities and the Prosecutor's Office in the prosecution of criminal offences in the area of economic crime.

The Government has achieved good results in the areas of tourism, energy, agriculture, and it is committed to the overall infrastructure strengthening, particularly in the North, as a key precondition for the development and better life for citizens, Prime Minister Marković stressed.

Speaking about the challenges the Government has been tackling, the Prime Minister emphasised that the focus will be placed on overall reforms in the areas of public administration, social and pension policy, and that a set of laws and activities that are under preparation should contribute to achieving better results in these areas.

03 September 2019 - President of Montenegro Milo Đukanović, at the invitation of the President of the Republic of Poland, Andrzej Duda, attended a central ceremony marking the 80th anniversary of the start of World War II, which is being held in Warsaw, Poland.

Presidents of the Republic of Poland and the Federal Republic of Germany Andrzej Duda and Frank Walter Steinmeier opened the commemoration of the 80th anniversary of the start of World War II. The ceremony began symbolically at 04 hours and 40 minutes in the Polish city of Wielun, when the first Nazi bombs fell on Poland and killed the first civilians.

"First of all, I am very pleased that, as President of Montenegro, I had the opportunity to attend a first-class international political event commemorating the 80th anniversary of the beginning of World War II, which, as we recall, began today in 1939 with the attack of Nazi Germany on Poland. I think the event itself is further significant because of the current context in both Europe and the global scene. So this is a time when memories of the importance of events like World War II are beginning to fade, and not only fading due to the passage of time, but especially in Europe because of the rising political rating of far-right politicians trying to rewrite history, trying to relativize the merits of liberators and the victor over fascism and at the same time relativize the responsibility of those who objectively found themselves on the side of fascism at that time," stated President of Montenegro Milo Đukanović as his Office reported.

Leaders and other senior officials of the EU Member States, NATO and the Eastern Partnership were invited to the ceremony,  honoring all the victims of World War II by symbolically striking the "bell of peace" in Pilsudski Square and laying a wreath at the Monument to Unknown Heroes.

President Đukanović in the second part of the program attended official dinner in the Royal Castle which Polish President Duda organized for high officials.

"Montenegro is present at such an event, and it is not only historically based but, I would say, very current and significant for us. First of all, the magnificent 13th of July Uprising at that time, from fascism enslaved Europe, represents today, I would say, the most valuable legitimation of Montenegro before Europe and the world, but it seems to me that in addition, Montenegro needs to attend all the places where memory is stored and celebrating the victory over Nazism, to be present and to participate in all events that glorify and elevate anti-fascism as a permanent, moral and state-political vertical of Montenegro throughout its historical history, including current Montenegrin society," concluded Đukanović.

 Read more news about politics in Montenegro at TMN's dedicated page.