The Municipality of Bar is the only one in Montenegro, possible even wider, which can offer tourists a holiday on the sea, the lake, and the mountains, and affirmation of tourism potentials of the hinterland mountain massif of Rumija, will see even more attention, said Emil Kukalj, the Director of Tourism Organization of Bar after a successful action "Expedition to the mountains ".

TO Bar attracted a group of about fifty tourists from several cities to a day-long hiking tour called "Expedition to the mountains", aiming to populate an active vacation in the hinterland.

The tour joined the "Two Magical Coasts" - the Adriatic Sea and Skadar Lake in Bar, and during the multi-level crossing of the massif Rumija through Bijela Skala, tourism workers met the lesser-known areas that should be recommended to their clients.

The departure was from Baltina, 650 meters above sea level, from where they walked up to Bijela Skala, to an altitude of 903 meters. This marked 5.2km long line is categorized as medium difficulty, its official number is 788, it is safe and has no critical points, and for passing, as described and proven in practice, it is physically in the middle range of demanding.

From this mountain pass, they hiked 4.5 kilometers to Pincic in Sestani, from where the wagon of trucks were transferred to Murici on the lake shore. The tour continued by boat to the beach Pjesacac where lunch was prepared in the ethno-ambiance and the final part was a sail from Pjesacac to Virpazar. The group was led by the professional licensed mountain guides Darko Pepdjonovic, Igor Percobic and Ilija Vukotic.

"We had a total of 53 travel agents and workers from Bar, Budva, and Podgorica. The tour is another indicator that Bar has the capacities unlike any other city, that there are great potentials not only for summer passive vacations, but for active holidays during the whole year. The vicinity of the sea and the lake, numerous hiking trails over a hundred kilometers long, the possibility to develop canyoning; this wealth is offered in such a small space and is truly a unique offer that can be very attractive for tourists and tourist agencies to include in the market," Kukalj said. Commenting on the fact that in the area between the two coasts the price of the private accommodation in the summer is much higher than in the traditional sea tourism resorts, Kukalj pointed out that the hinterland is mainly visited by the guests from Western Europe. "They are different from those on the seashore, because they are primarily looking for privacy, peace, silence and escape from everyday life, the internet and mobile phones. They can, truth be told, afford to pay more. As we go down from Bijela Skala to Pincice, we came across a group of ten Swiss people, and it is characteristic that they are older adults. These are people who have time and budget for such trips in their age," Kukalj added. 

More mountain guides will be needed in Bar

"A significant number of Bar Mountain Trails have been marked, but now they need to be maintained properly, renewed and remarked. The guides need additional training, and for a more serious approach more guides will be needed, in order to make our offer at the satisfactory level and be of service to as many tourists as possible," said Kukalj.

Text by Radomir Petric, on May 22nd, 2019, read more at Vijesti

Independence Day of Montenegro was marked in Baosici by the cultural, entertainment and sports program "My Country".

"The day on which Montenegro marks independence is a day that clearly marks the milestone and a break with the mythomania, the waving of swords, the daggers and the flags, the day where Montenegro, human, honest, dignified, civilized, decided on its destiny," said the playwriter Stevan Koprivica.

The state of Montenegro, he said, becomes a shelter, or at least tries to be, to all, no matter if they are called Montenegrins, Serbs, Croats, Albanians, Bosnians, Roma, Egyptians, Italians, more than a state that implies institutions and demonstrations of power.

"Montenegro is a homeland to people whose honesty, workmanship, rejoicing, and family are not determined by the nation itself, but by human quality. Ethics, and not nationalism, is the ethos that emerges from the national dance in which the jump strives to the heights, the nobility of the Boka Bay “kolo” (dance), in the emotion of old-Podgorica songs that have the tones and longings of the east, in the heights of Prokletije," Koprivica said.

Montenegro and all of its people, by the act of celebrating independence, relying on those irrefutable facts of history, but not being slaves to them, embarked on a modern era of emancipation of human values, the attempt to keep the state not to be a government mechanism but a synonym and paradigm of a homeland," concluded Koprivica.

In the program of the celebration, whose organizer and executive producer was "Media Frame", the chorus from the High school "Ivan Goran Kovacic" and their band "Kupplung", duo "Providenca", "Castel Nuovo" and actor Milos Pejovic participated.

"Race of Independence" was held on the route from the Cultural center in Bijela to Baosici Local Community.

Text by Slavica Kosic, on May 21st, 2019, read more at Vijesti

Basketball players of Buducnost Voli dominantly won the first match of the final series for the Montenegrin champions title - they defeated Mornar, the defender of the title, with a score 102:68.

From the beginning it was a one-way match. The "Blue" was all over the place, with good shots and play, and the guests were powerless to follow the rhythm of their rivals.

With a series of 12:0, Buducnost lead at the half with 48:26.

The most efficient was Edwin Jackson with 19 points, Sead Sehovic scored 16, while Nikola Rebic was the only one who scored double-digits for Mornar - 14.

The second game is played on Thursday in Bar.

Text by Vijesti sport, on May 21st, 2019, read more at Vijesti

May 22, 2019 - The opposition must get caught up and finally begin to apply the Agreement on the future. This was announced last night from the Independence Day protest, organized by the ODUPRISE movement. It was the 11th gathering within the public campaign asking for the system and consciousness changes in Montenegrin society. 

May 22, 2019 - Montenegrin director Ivan Marinovic won the Krzysztof Kieslowski ScripTeast Award for the "Forever Hold Your Peace" script yesterday at the International Film Festival in Cannes, within the framework of the ScripTeast Workshops program, announced the Film Center of Montenegro.

With Forever Hold Your Peace, Marinovic confirms his movie gift

Participation in the ScripTeast program is significant for Marinovic and his film

21 May 2019 - Representatives of Public Enterprise Parking Service of Budva stated that last year's seasonal offer of 2000 parking lots would be significantly increased, and starting from the summer season 2019, Budva will offer new parking lots near beach Jaz and in Petrovac. These parking lots are currently undergoing adaptation.

Most of the tourists who come to Budva by car calculate their holiday costs by summing the expenses for accommodation, food, night parties, and the use of beach equipment.  It is evident that tourists rarely take parking costs into account. Of course, faced with a lack of available parking lots, tourists are willing to pay high prices just to solve the problem of safe car parking.

There is generally very little free parking space in Budva that is not charged, which forces tourists to have to make a good calculation of whether they will walk to the beach or go by car during each beach trip.

Municipal Public Enterprise Parking Service currently owns nine parking lots in Budva and Petrovac, with about 2,000 parking lots, which are practically filled to the last during the summer season, especially in the evening hours. The Parking Service Budva finally announced the expansion of the parking lot in the city.

Two parking lots began operating in Petrovac yesterday - the parking lot near the Post Office and the parking lot Voli. These lots played a significant role when it comes to parking services in Petrovac last year, as Budva was still facing a massive problem in this field.

As far as Budva is concerned, after a short winter break, drivers are already able to look for a parking lot near the Post Office 2, which is located in the city centre. Also, it is certain that the garage in Rafailovići will be operational within a couple of days, state the representatives of the Municipal Parking Service.

20 May 2019 - From May 21, Podgorica has a new multifunctional sports hall – Bemax Arena, with over 2200 seats and the most popular accompanying contents, which will be another new sports facility within Sports Centre Morača.

In addition to the existing infrastructure, additional stands will be introduced from all four sides of the hall. In this way, Podgorica will have another facility for indoor sports such as basketball, volleyball, handball, futsal and martial arts. Bemax Arena will relieve the big sports centre hall and create more comfortable conditions for training processes and official matches for a number of sports teams.

Also, the new hall will have a pool and many accompanying contents according to European standards. For the first time in Montenegro, cameras will be installed in the hall, which will enable the option to watch games and concerts via the Internet. The hall will have the most modern light and sound computerized effects.

With the opening of Bemax Arena, Podgorica will receive a new impressive sports facility, a venue built according to the most modern standards. The largest Montenegrin construction company, LLC Bemax donated the funds necessary to complete this multifunctional hall, to the Basketball Association of Montenegro, so that Podgorica will have another space for indoor sports. This donation resulted in a private-public partnership between the two organizations.

According to Bemax’s spokesperson, in addition to the hall, the newly built centre has a subterranean space and gallery space. The hall consists of four floors. The dressing rooms for the teams, which are fully furnished, spacious, with underfloor heating, toilets and showers, are located on the lowest floor. This floor also includes the dressing rooms for judges, doping control room, handy toilets, and massage rooms. The floor above has a modern gym, equipped with high-quality equipment and special multifunctional space, which can be used for individual, group training, aerobics, fitness and the like. Otherwise, the gym also has a separate entrance from the outside, so it will be available to all citizens of Podgorica who prefer this type of recreation. There is also a VIP dressing room which, in case a special event is organized at the venue, will be a special place for singers, dancers, musicians and actors. This dressing room has its own lounge, wardrobe, toilet and make-up room. There is also a press conference room at this level.

The ground floor contains a special hall through which the audience can reach the main stands. The Bemax’s representatives emphasized that all entrances and rooms are adapted for people with special needs. There is also an entrance for journalists and VIP guests, from which individuals can enter the VIP Lodge, which contains an exclusive lounge.

In the gallery section, there is a room for journalists and camera operators, and in the second part, there is a control room from which the hall is managed. There is also a separate entrance for the parter, because the company made a stairway to the lower plate from which individuals can enter the hall.

Bemax Arena, within the Morača Sports Centre in Podgorica, was officially opened on May 21 at 7 pm. The Arena was opened by the Mayor of Podgorica Ivan Vuković and the President of the Basketball Federation of Montenegro Veselin Barović.

Data acquired from Official Website of Bemax LLC.

20 May 2019 - Minister of Defence of Montenegro Predrag Bošković spoke with the commander for TAAC-North, German Brigadier General Gerhard Ernst-Peter Klaffus at the Marmal base in Afghanistan.

Minister of Defence of Montenegro, Predrag Bošković thanked General Klaffus for supporting Montenegro's troops from the German contingent during the execution of tasks in the Resolute Support mission. He also added that he hopes that the international forces made up of NATO allies and partners are the best guarantor of security in that country and that their presence is still necessary.

He also said that Montenegro sent its soldiers to Afghanistan for the first time in 2010 and that we have been continuously present since then, first in ISAF, then in the Resolute Support mission, with the gradual increase in the number of soldiers. emphasising that Montenegro, as a member of NATO, is trying to contribute to the Alliance's policy of designing stability maximally.

Back in December 2018, the Information on the accession of the Montenegrin Ministry of Defense to the framework Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of Defense of Germany and combat forces of Sweden, with reference to the “Resolute Support” mission, announced by the Government of Montenegro, said that costs of the Army of Montenegro and its soldiers in this mission will amount to 2.000.000 EUR on annually. The costs will include contribution fees, accommodation, and travel costs, moving of forces, as well as other expenditures arising from the engagement of members of the Army of Montenegro into the mission in Afghanistan.

May 21, 2019 - Ratka Jovanović Vukotić is a columnist of the daily newspaper Vijesti and a one of the five-member committee that initiated the movement ODUPRISE. We spoke with the experienced Montenegrin journalist about the influence of the media on the situation in society, the opposition's actions in the context of civil protests, and the perspectives of the fundamental changes citizens are advocating

• How is media in Montenegro professional in presenting the real situation in society? Is the responsibility for public media services at the center of control and power, or a part of the responsibility of the journalists themselves? Is it the position of some international organizations that the media scene in Montenegro is like reporting from the war zones?

"Montenegrin media collapsed together with Montenegrin society, but this is primarily the fault of journalists. It had to be a matter of choice, as well as freedom, but it costs a lot, especially in an autocratic regime like ours. An honorable journalist does not agree that he is lying in any system, wherever he lives and whatever pressures he has been exposed to, especially not for a hundred or two hundred euros higher salary.

The breaking point for the collapse of Montenegrin journalism was the so-called AB revolution and the upcoming war because of which it was organized. Those who held to themselves chose freedom and truth. Most of the journalists, unfortunately, agreed to lie, cheat, spread hatred, and magnify the evil. The majority of the regime allowed for decades to train new generations of journalists, and now we are at the bottom. In fact, below the bottom, because the fact that several free media is still alive is no comfort.

After thirty years of cutting down, it will take at least a bit more than journalism until our country returns to the initial level, which was not particularly high anyway. Provided that journalism as a profession survives, it seems to me that anyone who knows the alphabet will soon become a journalist.

The editorial policy of the RTCG is dangerous to all residents of Montenegro since the 1990s, and the two short-term attempts at liberation did not change that. Any government, even it is relatively tolerant, wants to influence the image that the public media service broadcasts about it. At the same time, every journalist, also the relatively professional, has to resist it severely. Otherwise - they are not a journalist.

This type of rebellion is implied, for it is a high price paid in a society like ours, but public services without free and moral journalists are not possible. The Council can decide what it wants; the director can order whatever he wants- it is enough that only thirty journalists, organized through their screen, publicly rebel - this mastodon will collapse from the ground. Unfortunately, this has never happened. And he will not. If this regime ever falls, the so-called Public service will, in the same composition, continue to be a servant to some new authority which, of course, will answer.

• The movement ODUPRISE, in addition to the resignations of the system's leaders, requires and resigns the director and management of the Public Service RTCG. At the same time, the Public Service initially ignored and minimized the movement, and was subsequently very biased, protecting the interests of the clique in power, reporting on the protests and other activities of ODUPRISE leaders. What about the rest of the media scene?

How the so-called Public service reported on the protests of citizens, because of which there is a public service in every normal country, its administration explained the best. On several occasions, it has been publicly announced that RTCG is defending - the state?! From who? The citizens who are the state, who give tens of millions of euros a year to hear full and valid information, and who receive a billboard for advertising the president, the government, and the DPS?!

In the report from the first protest, they agreed that the opposition organized it, although some of the parties publicly insulted the organizers and common sense, while the rest publicly announced that they did not know anything about the ODUPRISE movement. In the meantime, the so-called Public service has so far trapped itself in nebulous constructions; now we are listening to their cracks that are less crowded in the street. I do not understand, do they want citizens now? When there were 20,000 on the street, they claimed that we were 5,000. When 5,000 come out, they're concerned that there's a small number. Who is guilty? In the first place- journalists. Report live from the protests, have the opportunity, to tell the truth, not what the editor ordered, and why not do it - ask them. If the reason is fear, then let them greet journalism.

How do others report? Those I follow are doing it professionally, especially Vijesti and Dan, although, strict as I am, I am finding faults also there. Reporting of In4S is also correct, but in the columns, there is firing at the protest organizers. I have no right to object, I am a journalist from the old generation, and I respect the rule that the facts are sacred, and the comment is free. Weekly Monitor is, as always, on the side of freedom.

• Is your assessment that ODRRISE, having joined a common platform with opposition political entities, lost part of the support of citizens, and received support from some new ones? Is the Agreement on the future the key to ensuring the essential unity of the opposition over common goals?

I will answer you in my name. The Agreement on the future has also benefited both Montenegro and the Montenegrin opposition, but not to the movement ODUPRISE. I'm not surprised, the experience from the LSCG has taught me caution not only when it comes to power, but also the opposition. In the beginning, I wanted to establish cooperation with the opposition as late as possible, to organize the protests alone as much as possible, knowing that the changes will not begin before autumn. My friends prayed not to spread pessimism, but I was just realistic.

Euphoria, spreading over the unexpectedly sudden but anticipated temporary mass of protests, has made many citizens naively think how crime and corruption that have been built into the system for 30 years can be demolished in three months. Referring to some radicalization, part of the opposition contributed to it.

What is radical - let's call the president to resign for 15 nights, so that he will be shaken and so emotional to decide to go? Should we fall into the Assembly and do the same thing that this government did 30 years ago? Or shoot the prosecutor with eggs or onions?

In no way, we - among other things - resist the advanced Montenegrin primitivism. We are fighting for necessary changes to the system as a whole, and resignations are just the way to that. That's why I continue to argue that persistence and perseverance on peaceful protests are far more important than mass.

To return to the Agreement on the Future- I accepted the position of the majority in the Organizing Committee when I saw that the party members systematically joined the Street. It was clear to me that no further cooperation was possible with the opposition, but I did not expect much from it or the Agreement.

I was hoping that the Agreement would not be misunderstood at all, but it was. After the signing of the Agreement on stage, the number of citizens in protest halved. In addition to forcing The Day to radicalization, this Agreement on the cooperation of ODUPRISE with the opposition was an additional cause of the fall in energy and the number of demonstrators.

Citizens interpreted the Agreement as a definitive unification of the opposition and the movement, although it only refers to tasks in the struggle to the same goal. Later, it turned out that not every party has the same intense, but it is an old and already told story.

• Already at the beginning of the ODUPRISE campaign, you highlighted what everyone ought to be aware that the fight will not be easy and requires the persistence of the citizens so that the desired changes come. In your opinion, is ODUPRISE already generating positive changes in Montenegro?

The goal of the ODUPRISE movement is from the beginning a system change, which the communists would say - from upgrading to the base. In addition to autocracy, robbery, theft of electoral choice, corruption, crime, there are many more severe problems. The upgrade completely infected the base by spreading the idea that everything was allowed, that laws could be selectively applied. And to such an extent that, in addition to a radical change in the system, a fundamental shift in consciousness is necessary. Something like returning to "factory settings."

See how the authorities are formed in municipalities, even when the opposition wins. Five director positions in public companies, four in managing boards, two in secretariats, and then all of them are hiring their own and at lower levels. Why, when they fought against it? Because those who voted them consider it quite natural for them to get something for the vote - privileges, jobs, money, whatever.

For basic system and awareness changes, it will take at least 30 years. The movement ODUPRISE did what it did - it called on citizens to resist, wake up tired energy, and spread hope that changes are possible, send messages that everything depends on us, that no one from the side will help us if we do not help ourselves. We gathered in the same street; thousands of people who were separated for decades, and we were able to bring all the opposition parties and all opposition MPs to the same place.

From the beginning, we have been exposed to filthy bastards and lies, primarily the authorities and its services, not to mention the others. The so-called intellectual elite did not favor us, some of its honorable exceptions only confirmed the majority. The big problem was there, and there remained money for the stage, sound, and other technical issues. We already owe six to seven thousand euros, which we will have to return from our pockets because part of the opposition has long stopped supporting the protests both in money and on the street.

Are we satisfied with the results – no, we're not. Have we done everything we could - we have. Anyone who thinks they can do more, better and faster, is welcome to join ODUPRISE. It is worth fighting for a better Montenegro as long as there are young rebels, like Jelena, two Mladen, Nikola, Slavisa, Dragan. If not for them, maybe after 30 years, I would have raised my hands from the liberation of people who would rather bear the burden of slavery than take the responsibility that freedom brings.

• How do you evaluate the attitude of international organizations and member states of the international community towards the movement of citizens that appeared in Montenegro?

If I present everything that I think about the policy of the West towards anyone and anything in Montenegro, I will close all doors to the ODUPRISE movement, which are just a bit open anyway. Therefore, only briefly: for 1423 days, I watched the burning of Sarajevo, from the so-called international community I do not expect anything!

Montenegrin Telekom and the University of Donja Gorica have signed a Memorandum of Understanding, which enables students of the Faculty of Information Systems and Technology on basic and specialist programs of Information Systems Management and Data Protection and Information System Security to practice and improve their knowledge in Telekom.

Telekom thus continues to cooperate with numerous educational institutions in the country, and once again demonstrated that it is happy to open the doors to students, contributing to the improvement of the quality of education.

"We are particularly interested in supporting the education system in the so-called STEM areas, i.e., the development of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, as the need for recruiting specialists from this field is steadily increasing. It is key for the success of the entire Montenegrin society and economy. Therefore, we will try to give full support to the students of the Information Systems and Technology Faculty, and we believe that young people who acquire practical knowledge in our company have the opportunity to learn from top experts and to use that knowledge in the best way. Our ambition is to further empower employers and the broader community through this and similar activities to ensure that the educated and talented people build their careers and destinies in Montenegro," said Miroslav Janicic, Director of Human Resources Sector at Telekom, at the signing of the Memorandum.

Practice in Telekom is an excellent opportunity for students to get acquainted with modern trends in telecommunications and information technology, said the Technical Director in Telekom Valentina Radulovic.

"IT students have big challenges to overcome in a very dynamic telecommunications sector, and in Telekom we offer them the opportunity to participate in the teamwork with our developers in the creation and development of innovative digital solutions. At the same time, Telekom is part of the Deutsche Telekom Group, the leader of the digital transformation in Europe, so Montenegrin students are the future experts who will plan and develop the architecture for the network and services of the future," Radulovic concluded.

UDG said that they invest a lot in making their students acquire not only knowledge, but also the skills they will need in a real business environment. That is why, they explain, they pay close attention to the practical teaching during the course of the studies, and the application of theoretical knowledge while working in companies or at research projects.

"We are pleased that our students will have the opportunity to practice at Telekom, one of the leading companies in our market, which has long since emerged from the regional frameworks. In this way, students will have the opportunity to get acquainted with state-of-the-art technological solutions and innovations that will increasingly affect the world we live. The signing of this contract is only a continuation of cooperation with the Montenegrin Telekom, which, in various fields, lasts from the establishment of the University," said the Dean of the Faculty of Information Systems and Technology, Prof. Dr. Milica Vukotic.

Text by Promo, on May 20th, 2019, read more at Vijesti