Monday, April 30, 2012

Montenegro Becomes WTO Member

Montenegro became a full member of the World Trade Organization (WTO) on Sunday, achieving one the country's key priorities. Montenegro is the 154th WTO member.



A protocol on accession was signed on December 17, 2011 and came into effect on Sunday. 
WTO membership will help Montenegro solve a number of problems. It should strengthen efforts to reduce the cost of living, increase consumer choice in goods and services, boost foreign trade and combat corruption, a Finance Ministry statement said. 
WTO membership will also send a positive signal to foreign investors because "Montenegro will be recognized as a destination where internationally accepted trade regulations are respected," according to the statement. 
In order to achieve higher cohesion in global economic policy, the WTO cooperates with the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The only countries in southeast Europe that have not yet become WTO members are Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Tanjug

Friday, April 27, 2012

Re-Election Reception for Congressman Sandy Levin


  Sandy Levin
 Invites you to join with
Donika Bardha
Ekrem Bardha
Gjelosh Camaj
Joseph Dedvukaj
Toma Duhanaj
Lek Gjokaj
Prek Gjokaj
Tony Ivanaj

Frano Ivezaj
 
 Gjergj Ivezaj
Malota Ivezaj
Viktor Ivezaj

Luk Juncaj
Tony Juncaj
Paloka Lulgjuraj
Rocky Lulgjuraj
Marash Nuculaj
Paul Shkreli

Sunday, May 6th
2:30 p.m.
 At Saint Paul’s Albanian Catholic Church
Banquet Facility
525 Auburn Road
Rochester Hills
 For a reception benefitting Congressman Levin’s re-election.
 Hosts: $1,000
General: $50 
Please RSVP to Kelly Tebay at 586-576-1636 or tebaykel@gmail.com

Monday, April 09, 2012

Djukanovic Attack Angers Montenegro Opposition

As a local election campaign intensifies, Montenegro’s longtime former leader Milo Djukanovic has attacked civil society groups, the independent media and the opposition.

Ahead of local elections in Herceg Novi and Tivat on April 7 the chair of the ruling Democratic Party of Socialists, Milo Djukanovic, has criticized some civil society groups and “the allegedly independent media".
The former leader of the country said some of them work against Montenegro's interests by draining money from international sources.
“If arrests are allegedly the way to speed the integration of Montenegro into the EU, as the opposition claims, I’ll make a small contribution about who might be sacrificed," Djukanovic said on Wednesday in Tivat, alluding to opposition politicians and “media tycoons".
NGOs and opposition media have been critical in their reaction, the indepependent media outlet Vijesti comparing him to Serbia's former strongman Slobodan Milosevic.
“His anxiety is understandable because he is aware that his political carieer is close to an end and that young people, whose lives are marked by his policies, have started opposing the system," Dejan Milovac, from the NGO MANS, told Balkan Insight.
Milovac accused Djukanovic of using the rhetoric of the former Balkan strongmen of the Nineties, characterised by conspiracy theories about alleged spy networks.
Nebojsa Medojevic, one of the opposition leaders, agreed. "This is a classical situation of a dictator at the end of his rule when he becomes more agressive," Medojevic said.
Esad Kocan, editor of the Montenegrin weekly Monitor, says his organ was proclaimed a “public enemy" a long time ago.
“The media that are not controlled by the government are treated as enemies," he said. "Within such an environment, journalists became legitimate targets of violence," Kocan added, recalling the frequent attacks on media and reporters in Montenegro.
Milena Milosevic



Wednesday, April 04, 2012

Letter from U.S Ambassador in Montenegro Concerning Ethnic Albanians.

Dear Mr. Levin:

Thank you for your letter of January 18 regarding the treatment of ethnic Albanians in Montenegro,  Ethnic Albanians have made, and continue to make, crucial contributions to Montenegro’s success and stability, and they must have a voice in Montenegro’s future for the country to fully prosper.  Our embassy in Podgorica is committed to working with the Government of Montenegro to ensure that the rights of all ethnic minorities are fully protected.

As part of this effort, our Embassy maintains regular contact with Montenegro’s ethnic Albanian population.  In 2011, Ambassador Brown participated in the inauguration of an Islamic center and mosque in Besi, an event attended by several hundred members of the Montenegrin Diaspora, most of them ethnic Albanian.  The Ambassador also traveled to Ulcinj, home of Montenegro’s largest ethnic Albanian community, to meet with local leaders and to observe Iftar.  She has also accepted an invitation to visit Tuzi and plans to travel there early this year.

It may also interest you to know that the Prime Minister of Albania visited Montenegro on January 25, 2012, and emphasized that Albania appreciates the significant progress Montenegro has made in protecting the rights of its ethnic Albanians.  The Albanian and Montenegrin prime ministers signed an agreement on the joint border crossing of Zatrijebacka Cijevna-Grabon (near Podgorica) and the border point Vranic-Cerem (near Plav) that allows citizens of both countries to cross the border with only national identification cards.  The Albanian Prime Minister also visited Ulcinj where he met with the mayor of the city.

Also, on January 30, Prime Minister Luksic and the Reis of the Islamic Community in Montenegro, Rifat Fejzic, signed an agreement regarding the government’s and religious community’s mutual relationship.  This agreement provides details regarding restitution and property claims, calls to prayer, public displays of religious clothing and other issues.  Mr. Fejzic said that the signing of the agreement was “a historical event, since it signifies the continuity of the Islamic Community.”

Ambassador Brown has expressed her willingness to meet with representatives of the American-Albanian community whenever they are in Montenegro.  Thank you again for your interest in this matter.  Please do not hesitate to contact us if we can be of further help with this or any other issue.

Sincerely,

Davis S. Adams

Assistant Secretary
Legislative Affairs