Montenegro Protests Over US Magazine’s Article

The Montenergin ambassador to the US is sending a letter to the American magazine Foreign Affairs to protest against the article which describes Montenegro as a mafia state.

Srdjan Darmanovic, the Montenegrin ambassador to Washington, was instructed to send a letter to the editor-in-chief of the magazine, to express dismay and present the real face of Montenegro, Milan Rocen, Montenegro’s foreign minister, said on Thursday.

Earlier this month, Foreign Affairs published an article, written by Moises Naim, which describes Montenegro as a “mafia state“, alongside Bulgaria, Venezuela, Guinea-Bissau, Ukraine and Myanmar.

“In mafia states, government officials enrich themselves and their families and friends while exploiting the money, muscle, political influence, and global connections of criminal syndicates to cement and expand their own power,” reads the article’s summary.

Naim's piece caused intense reaction in the local media, and the debate over it even reached the parliament.

“Montenegro is mentioned only once in seven pages, when the states are listed, and for all other states there are broad explanations as to why they are on the list”, Rocen said, answering the remarks of an opposition MP, claiming that it is inaccurate to call Montenegro a “mafia state”.

The ruling Democratic Party of Socialists, DPS, has frequently accused the opposition, certain NGOs and domestic media of projecting a bad image of Montenegro abroad.

“If Montenegro was a criminal state, it would not be at the threshold of EU and NATOmembership,“ Caslav Vesovic, a spokesman for the DPS, stated earlier this month, following the publication of the article.

Vesovic said that by using each and every opportunity to characterize Montenegro as a criminal state, the opposition and some parts of civil society “can sometimes influence the objectivity of certain international non-governmental associations, with regard to the progress of our country in comprehensive social reform“. 

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

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

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

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

Balkans: After Kosova independence, Albanians call for unification

Belgrade, 20 March (AKI) - Four years after Kosovo ethnic Albanians declared independence from Serbia, their co-nationals in other Balkan countries have stepped up a drive for unification with Albania proper, local media reported on Tuesday.

osovo prime minister Hashim Thaci said last week “it would be the best for Albanians to live in one state, if there were any border changes in the Balkans”. He was reacting to the demands by Serbs in northern Kosovo, who oppose independence, to remain a part of Serbia.

Over the past four years, Pristina and Tirana have practically eliminated border between Albania and Kosovo, issued joint school textbooks and agreed and joint consular representation abroad “to cut down costs”.

“Albanians should feel the same in Tirana and Pristina,” Albanian prime minister Sali Berisha told media. On Tuesday, Menduh Thaci, a leader of ethnic Albanians in Macedonia, who make 25 per cent of the country’s two million population, joined the call for unification with Tirana and the creation of “Greater Albania”, which would be a home to all Albanians living in the Balkans.

“Macedonia is an artificial creation” and all Albanians, living in Kosovo, Montenegro, Macedonia and Greece should have the right to live in one state and unite with Tirana, Thaci told Tirana television “Ora news”.

Western powers, which were instrumental in supporting Kosovo’s secession from Serbia, oppose the creation of “Greater Albania” and local Balkan leaders have warned the move would destabilize the entire region.

But the latest surveys showed that 63 per cent of Albanian citizens favored unification, as well as 81 per cent of Albanians in Kosovo and 53 per cent in Macedonia.

Fran Lulgjuraj named new Mayor of TUZ

Tuz, Malësia - 10 February - Fran Lulgjuraj from the ranks of the Democratic Party of Socialists (Milo Djukanovic) today was elected mayor of the municipality of Tuzi Urban.
The new mayor was voted in by 12 members of the Council, while 7 were against and one ballot was invalid.

Fran Lulgjuraj replaces his party colleague, Nikola Gegaj who after his resignation was elected MP in the Montenegrin Parliament.

Lulgjuraj told the Pobjeda newspaper that he would work to take care to preserve and improve the level of cooperation with all of Podgorica and Montenegrin municipalities.
He asserted that, "The cooperation is indispensable to the Capital City and all other state institutions of Montenegro. Good things will happen for the region of Podgorica and vice versa," said Lulgjuraj. He also said he would work towards establishing a municipality for Tuzi.
Previously, Lulgjuraj was Titogradska-Tribina journalist, he also taught as a professor at the Gymnasium (High School) of Tuzi. His career included a position as consul general of the Union of Serbia - Montenegro in New York, as well as Deputy President of Podgorica.
His last post was the first secretary of the Embassy of Montenegro in Macedonia. During the past year, Lulgjuraj served no political function be this appointment in Tuzi.
The coalition partners of PSD (DPS), Democratic Union of Albanians and Bosnian Party who lead urban municipality of Tuzi, had warned that it will accept any candidate who would propose PSD.

source: malesia.org