July 16, 2020 - This year's celebration of July 13, Statehood Day of Montenegro, will be remembered for an unpleasant event in Kotor - celebrations with torches led to a fire on the walls of the San Giovanni fortress above the Old Town, thanks to which Kotor and Boka Kotorska enjoy UNESCO protection.

While the Municipality of Kotor comes with implausible explanations that this was an accident caused by celebratory euphoria, professionals and the public are still in disbelief - cultural heritage of global importance has been allowed to burn due to human negligence and irresponsibility.

The former director of the Regional Institute for the Protection of Cultural Monuments in Kotor, Prof. Dr. Ilija Lalošević, said yesterday that he was shocked by what happened on the ramparts two nights ago. For twenty years, he emphasizes, there has been a ban on lighting with naked flames on the cultural-historical monument in Kotor.

Lalošević, who also received his doctorate on the Kotor Fortress and fortifications from the Venetian period in Boka, is one of the best connoisseurs of the walls, bastions, and other buildings that make up the complex system of the medieval Kotor fortress. He led the Regional Institute for the Protection of Cultural Monuments from 1999 to 2004. He says that at the initiative of that institution, the traditional illumination of the Kotor ramparts with naked flames during major festivities, such as Boka Night, was abolished.

"Just after one Boka Night, I, as the Director of the Institute, climbed the ramparts and went to the fortress of San Giovanni with the then representative of UNESCO, Mr Fubomishi Kudo of Japan, who was on an official visit to Kotor. He was astonished to see the remains of burnt sawdust and oil on the walls, and he could not believe that something like this was being allowed on this valuable architectural and cultural heritage. He was so shocked by the condition of the ramparts that he immediately took $ 2,000 out of his pocket and donated it personally for the cleaning and refurbishment of the Kotor fortress. Since then, any illumination of the Kotor walls with the use of naked flames has been strictly forbidden." Dr. Ilija Lalošević is the laureate of the highest recognition of the city of Kotor - the November Award - for his contribution to the protection and improvement of the Kotor fortress and walls and their inclusion to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2017.

Kotor police remain silent
Even after two days, the Kotor police have not explained how they allowed the holding of a hazardous public gathering - a torchlight procession on the walls and along the waterfront on the occasion of the celebration of Statehood Day on July 13.

A public gathering violated the current orders of the Ministry of Health issued to prevent the spread of coronavirus and was organized contrary to the Law on Public Order and Peace, the Law on Explosive Substances, and the Law on Protection and Rescue. The unknown organizers turned the celebration into a scandal because torches carried along the walls by participants caused a fire that endangered part of this cultural monument, which is under the first category of UNESCO's protection. Kotor firefighters, with the help of participants in the torchlight procession, extinguished the fire that was reported to them at around 10 pm, and was brought under control at 1.30 am. It was completely extinguished just after 5 am the following day.

The Mayor of Kotor, Zeljko Aprcovic (DPS), told "Vijesti" yesterday that it was not true that a pine tree had caught fire on the ramparts on the hill of Sveti Ivan above the Old Town.

"This is not true. All the pine trees below San Giovanni are still there. Only grass and low vegetation have burned, " said the Mayor. However, the Commander of the Protection and Rescue Service of the Municipality of Kotor, Maksim Mandić, told "Vijesti" that several hundred square meters of low-lying vegetation and one pine tree had caught fire.

Aprcovic did not comment that the organizers of the torchlight procession at the Kotor Fortress violated the seasonal ban in force on lighting fires in the open and in public areas, which was signed by the Mayor, and which is valid from June 1 to September 30. Kotor is also awash with posters from the Municipality and Protection and Rescue Service drawing the public's attention to the fact that they must strictly abide by these orders and "refrain from any action that could lead to an uncontrolled fire."

"We are surrounded by the indescribable beauty of the Bay of Kotor and thousands of years of old buildings under UNESCO's protection. Please preserve them with us for future generations. Every tree is an invaluable gift of nature, it can disappear instantly in flames, but it takes decades for another to grow. Do not do anything that can contribute to its disappearance, because life has been chose here." Breaches of seasonal bans on lighting fires and "leaving burning objects in places where there is an increased risk of fire," are met with fines of 30 to 2,000 euros.

Responses from the Regular State Prosecutor's Office in Kotor, which initiated an investigation, and data obtained by the Prosecutor's Office regarding the organizers of this public gathering, procurement and introduction of several hundred pyrotechnic torches into the protected cultural monument are still awaited, Vijesti writes.

Source: Vijesti

July 15, 2020 - The nineteenth edition of one of the most famous music festivals in this part of Europe - KotorArt Don Branko's Music Days, starts tonight in Kotor. In the current circumstances with the COVID-19 pandemic, the festival management is bringing a reduced program, the dynamics of which will depend on the epidemiological situation in Kotor and Montenegro.

In the "Boka" cinema in Kotor, tonight, starting at 9 pm, the audience will have the opportunity to watch a film by the German television company Deutsche Welle. The documentary called "Symphony for the World" is a story about Beethoven that will run through the entire KotorArt Festival. Admission to the Boka Cinema is free, and seats are limited due to the country's epidemiological situation.

During the first week of the Festival, several programs are currently planned. On Saturday, July 18, starting at 9.30 pm, in the Church of St. Spirit, the best students of the Music Academy from Cetinje will be performing, marking a jubilee - 40 years of the Academy's existence. Another concert is planned in cooperation with the professors of the institution.

This year's Jazz Square will present some of the best jazz musicians from Montenegro every weekend during the Festival, in cooperation with Luštica Bay and the Wild Beauty Art Festival.

The series of concerts begins on Saturday, July 18, when the "Šule Jovović Trio" consisting of jazz pianist Sara Jovović, guitarist Milorad Šulet Jovović and drummer Martin Đorđević will perform in the unique ambiance of Luštica Bay. The same band will perform in Kotor the next day, July 19, starting at 10 pm, on the traditional Sunday, which has been accompanied by the sounds of jazz during the KotorArt Festival. This year's Kotor concerts are planned on the open air, to respect all security measures of the competent services.

"We hope that the situation will allow the planned program for the first week of the Festival to happen. All events we organize are with a small number of performers in compliance with the National Coordination Body and the Institute of Public Health measures. The audience indoors is required to wear a mask and respect the distance between individuals in the audience, which is mandated at 2m. Admission is free for all events at this year's Festival, and we ask our audience to understand during this year's Festival if there are changes in the program. Thus, we have just approached the audience responsibly, not announcing the thoroughly planned schedule, but we will gradually respond with the scheduled weekly programs," the organizers explain.

Weekly information, the planned calendar, and interviews with people from the world of culture, art, diplomacy, and economics, as well as information on festival profiles, will be available to all those interested on social networks and the website - www.kotorart.me.

July 15, 2020 - The Festival of the Mediterranean Theatre Purgatorije in Tivat should start on August 1 with a reduced program and conditions that are not limited to specific dates or the realization of the entire program. Whether and to what extent the language of culture must be redefined - whether muses are permitted to remain silent while plagues are raging - whether long-term abstinence from art can atrophy the need for it as a haven for the mind and soul... All of this, as well as the virtual dimension of culture and this year's Purgatorije program were the topics of the interview by Radio Tivat with Neven Staničić, Director of the Cultural Center of Tivat.

"On an individual level, it is impossible to stifle creativity in any condition. It even inspires and heats up, but collective projects in the cultural industry are a problem," Staničić believes.

"It is impossible in these conditions to coordinate guest appearances from several countries in the region in important international cultural festivals. It is difficult to imagine a theatrical event taking place with the obligatory application of all protection measures.

For the audience, it could be managed somehow, but how will a love scene take place on the stage without respecting physical distance, for example? Culture cannot do without an audience and direct contact. Although we received great reviews from all over the world for the online version of our Guitar Fest, I am not a fan of such an experience, which cannot be compared to listening and watching a guitar master from a few meters away.

We will try to realize the program as we know and can, in coexistence with the coronavirus. Sometimes it seems easier to deal with it than with cultural alternatives, and we want to stay at the level we have maintained for many years. Today we have surrogates at all levels. We have streets instead of assemblies, fights instead of matches. So, instead of the culture we are used to, we may get an adequate solution," says Stanicic, who is probably the main "culprit" behind Tivat having one of the most important theater festivals in the region.

The Purgatory Mediterranean Theater Festival 2020 starts with the theater's premiere play "The Other Side of the Wind" on August 1 on a small stage in the summer house Buća. It is a marine theme with an engaging text by Miroslav Antić, directed by Branko Ilić, in which students of the Cetinje Faculty of Dramatic Arts play, for whom it will be an exam, and graduation play. The rehearsals are going according to plan in the main hall of the local Cultural Center.

"Tivat Cultural Center has always been a place where young actors start their professional lives, and so far, we have done three such projects. "Tre Sorelle" is an excellent example, it is a show with excellent ratings, a large number of performances and awards, so we hope that such a fate will befall the "Other Side of the Wind".

The second premiere, "Application Volant" out of four planned for this year's Purgatorije, is scheduled for August 5. The rehearsals are taking place in Sabac, after which final rehearsals should continue here in Tivat. The play comes on the back of the celebrated "Jami District", with the same production team and author team. The text is signed by Minja Bogavac, and directed by Kokan Mladenović.

"It's about the impact of mobile phones on our daily lives, with a projection on the future. In the play itself, the audience will have to use their phones on which they will install the play's required application to start," explains Staničić.

This summer, local plays will be performed: "Filomena Marturano", "Bokeški D-mol", "Little pirate", "Tre Sorelle", "Jami District" with the celebration of its 100th performance. The repertoire also includes several guest performances - "Don Quixote" by the City Theater from Podgorica and the Bar Chronicle, "Twilight of the Gods" by the Belgrade Drama Theater and "Colonel of Birds" by the City Theater from Podgorica.
This year's Pugratorije will have its own literary and musical segment.
"On August 3, we planned to honor the audience on the Summer Stage, especially the women, with the musical-poetic evening of actor Ivan Bosiljčić, which would be a kind of replacement for the musicals that have marked the beginning of each edition of Purgatorije."

The music segment of Purgatory, the festival "Mediterranean Notes", will most likely be held from August 18 to 22 with three to five concerts, and with guests, world-renowned violinists - Nigel Kennedy and Stefan Milenković. The contracts have been signed, and the relevant Ministry is interested in helping to keep the festival going.

The program of this year's Purgatorije is much reduced, as well as the budget and financial outcome.

"The problem is not that we are now postponing, moving and reducing some things, but that we, even if the coronavirus disappears very quickly, will not be able to return to the level of 2019, but we must go back and start some things from scratch. We should be more than optimistic and expect the same budget for culture as it was at the beginning of 2020 if we know that we have reduced it by 80% at this time.

Perhaps it is now a consolation to be proud of what we have done so far, to have fond memories, and to know that we will have new beginnings. We're not going to move any more now from where we left off. I'm afraid it will be a few steps below. But we have enough experience, and we hope that it will help us quickly reach the level we once had," concluded the Tivat Cultural Center's Director, Neven Stanicic, in an interview with Radio Tivat.

Source: Sonja Štilet, Radio Tivat

Solana shut down, 1.3 million Euros’ worth imported.

14 July, 2020 - A combination of state negligence and deals with the boss of Eurofond have destroyed a promising industry. From being a significant producer and exporter, Montenegro has become dependent on salt imports and is the only Mediterranean country that does not produce its own.

According to the Statistics Office Monstat, Montenegro last year imported 1.3 million Euros of edible salt from as many as 29 countries and four continents.

Now closed and demolished, the Ulcinj Saltworks used to produce up to five times more salt than that consumed in the whole of Montenegro.

Eurofond interested purely in Solana land

Solana was state-owned until 2003, when, after voucher privatization, the largest owner became Eurofond, owned by businessman Veselin Barović, investing about 800,000 euros. Barović gradually increased his ownership in the company through various recapitalizations over the following years.

Solana manages 14 million square metres of state land in the hinterland of Long Beach (Velika Plaža), which the management of Eurofond wanted to turn into construction land for the building of apartments and hotels, and also to bring it under the ownership of the company.

Solana filed for bankruptcy in 2005 with a debt of 13 thousand Euros, the year in which its book value increased from 22.6 to 31.2 million. DPS votes in the Assembly changed the named purpose in the spatial plan and Solana became construction land, however the implementation of the plan was prevented by the NGO sector and representatives of various embassies.

Meanwhile, those in charge of Solana’s bankruptcy administration attempted to sell the land as construction land, first for 250 million, with the price later dropping to 160 million.

Eurofond only interested in turning millions of square metres of land over to construction: Former Solana Administration building, photo: Solana Administration building

If the plan had come about, most of the money would have ended up in the pockets of individuals connected to Eurofond, explaining the lack of interest in salt production.

The last salt was harvested in 2013, after which the pumping of sea water into the saltworks stopped, leading to environmental problems. National Parks took over the management of Solana as a protected area in 2015, allowing seawater to be pumped into the salt pans, but not salt production.

At one time, 70 percent of the salt was exported.

Former manager of Solana Saša Mitrović recalls that they produced an average of 10 to 15 thousand tons of salt.

"Montenegro's needs for edible salt were at the level of three to three and a half thousand tons, approximately 30 percent of our annual production. The rest, some 70 percent, went to the markets of the countries of the region and Europe," stated Mitrović to Vijesti, adding that there was also more than enough salt for the roads.

"If Solana was 'alive', we wouldn't need a gram of imported salt," Mitrovic points out.

But, while Ulcinj's Solana was still producing, salt of a much lower quality was also imported from various places in Montenegro. And yet Ulcinj salt was of the highest quality, as evidenced by numerous accolades won by the now-defunct factory at many competitions in Montenegro and beyond. 

Leading Ulcinj ecologist Dželal Hodžić says that for years no one has been considering quality, only price.

"However, wider Yugoslavia knew and appreciated the Ulcinj product as the healthiest and highest quality in the country, because in the southern Adriatic the concentration of salt in the seawater was the highest and purest. The fact that the housewives from Gevgelija to Triglav used our salt for the winter speaks volumes, because their produce spoiled after only a few months using other products," recalls Hodžić.

Imports mostly from Germany and Egypt

According to Monstat, last year Montenegro imported the majority of its edible salt from Germany and Egypt, a total of 256,076 and 235,594 Euros respectively, and the least from Sweden and Russia, 48 and 83 Euros respectively.

We also imported 128,389 Euros’ worth from Albania, 181,758 from Austria, 108,092 from Bosnia and Herzegovina, 401 from Bulgaria, 453 from China, 42,354 from Croatia, 225 from the Czech Republic,1,940 Euros’ worth from France, 12,308 from Greece, 17,413 from Hungary, 1,990 from India, 9,627 from Israel, 10,396 from Italy, 392 from Latvia, 590 from Malaysia, 25,513 from Pakistan, 2,755 from Poland, 165,231 from Serbia, 5,312 from Slovenia, 1,675 from Spain, 28,402 from Tunisia, 72,593 from Turkey, 222 from North Macedonia, 764 from the UK and 986 Euros’ worth from the USA.

Although the norms for edible salt have now been tightened due to its allegedly harmful effect on the human body, Mitrović claims that even that would not jeopardize, or even affect the profitability of Solana's business.

"The saltworks has, and can still produce, a wide range of products - from table and road salt, through sophisticated items for the pharmaceutical and chemical industries, and even to the animal husbandry business. I remember, seven or eight years ago, we sold huge quantities of salt, truck loads, to the then Mesopromet - for tanning leather," recalls Mitrović.

The only country in the Mediterranean without its own salt

Ornithologist Darko Saveljić, who has been protecting birds at Solana for 20 years, but also studying the work of salt pans in the region that work on the principle of biodiversity sustainability, said earlier that Montenegro is the only country in the Mediterranean that does not have its own salt production.

“Sea salt from Ulcinj's Solana is made from the purest water of the Adriatic Sea and is produced from the sun and wind. It contains 97 percent sodium chloride, and the rest is magnesium, zinc, bromine - all the supplements that we buy in pharmacies. It is a healing salt. Montenegro now imports salt from Egypt and China that can be very dangerous. Slovenia has branded salt as a product, although their salt from the Adriatic Sea comes from unclean water and is of far lower quality," said Saveljić at the time.

Ulcinj saltworks "Bajo Sekulić" is still in bankruptcy, with Eurofond and related companies owning a majority share, around 75%, while the management of the National Parks expires next month. The dispute over land ownership, between Eurofond and the state, continues.

Continuing production is a prerequisite for the survival of nature.

Hodžić says Solana is not for sale because it is a national asset, like lakes and rivers.

"Continuation of salt production is a prerequisite for the survival of nature in this area, for birds to remain and in breeding-quality lagoons for white fish and crabs. In addition, if we start production, we also have high-quality peloid (medicinal salt mud), which we still have in unlimited quantities, and some hoteliers import it for eight euros per kilogramme," states Hodžić.

He claims that it is difficult to maintain the land as it is without production.

"We may end up in a situation where our saltworks turns into a swamp and becomes a source of infection and malaria," warns the ecologist.

He points out that he himself does not know whether production would be profitable, but that experienced financial and commercial experts would be charged with that task. As a parallel, he cited the example of a Slovenian saltworks near Piran.

"It was state-owned and operated with a deficit for several years. The state helped the company from a special fund all the time, while the managers devised a way of survival. Today, the factory sells salt in packs of 100 grams, as well as various souvenirs and has tens of thousands of tourists. They got back on their feet and make hundreds of thousands of Euros, and we all know very well that our saltworks has five times more potential than this," claims Hodžić.

 Producing one kilo of salt costs two cents. Mitrović says that Solana can operate profitably without any problems.

"The maths is clear - the price of salt with all the costs on an annual basis, including the harvest, cannot exceed two cents per kilogramme. So, if we sell it for roads - we earn 100 percent, and if it is for human consumption - the profit is many times higher," explains Mitrović, mentioning that a 25-kilogramme package of table salt has a retail cost of 2.5 Euros, and per kilo 30-40 cents.

He adds that in Solana, the biggest cost has always been the salaries of workers.

"If Solana had 70 workers as was the case when it closed, we would need to sell 500 tons per month from a harvest of 10 to 15 thousand tons, which means 50 thousand Euros if the average selling price is 10 cents. About 35 thousand Euros would go on employee salaries, while the rest would be used to cover other costs," claims Mitrović.

He highlights that Solana, even when it had 450 employees and produced 20 thousand tons of salt 20 or more years ago, operated with a profit because it had a wider domestic market.

"The then Director of the company, while we were in the community with Serbia, said publicly that while the Ulcinj saltworks maintains production, the country (FRY) does not have to worry about edible salt," says Mitrović.

Montenegro now imports salt from Serbia, which is not a producer but only repackages imported salt.