23 April 2019 - Minister of Defence Predrag Bošković paid an official visit to the Republic of Latvia. During the meeting with Latvian counterpart Artis Pabriks in Riga, Bošković expressed Montenegro's readiness to strengthen bilateral cooperation with the Republic of Latvia, as a reliable ally in contributing to the overall strengthening of collective defence.

"By sending members of the Armed Forces of Montenegro to the enhanced Forward Presence in the East - eFP, we have demonstrated our commitment to NATO's deterrence and defence policy, as well as the willingness to contribute to designing stability within and outside the borders of the NATO by participating in international missions and operations", Bošković said.

He informed his Latvian counterpart about Montenegro's plans for further contribution to the eFP mission, stressing that Montenegro, with its participation in this mission, demonstrates its determination to continuously contribute to the overall efforts of the Alliance in strengthening the security of its citizens and territory. Minister Bošković stressed that the sending of the Scout Division of the Armed Forces of Montenegro to the eFP mission represents a strong platform for defining joint bilateral activities and projects.

Minister Pabriks stressed the strong support of the Republic of Latvia for strengthening the European and Euro-Atlantic perspective of the Western Balkans, affirming the impact of Montenegro's full membership in NATO on the stability of the Western Balkan region. Pabriks said that Montenegro had proved itself as a reliable and credible ally, stressing that Montenegro's contribution to the eFP mission is yet another indicator of its commitment to strengthening global peace and stability and trust among the armed forces of allied countries.

Bošković also met with State Secretary of the Latvian Ministry of Defence Janis Garisson. The two officials visited the Adaži base, the headquarters of the Multinational Battle Group in Latvia, within which an infantry reconnaissance division of the Armed Forced of Montenegro was engaged in December 2018.

In a conversation with Montenegrin soldiers, Bošković expressed satisfaction with the positive ratings of senior military representatives on their professional attitude towards assigned tasks. He expressed the expectation that they will continue to represent Montenegro decently by a responsible approach to the obligations and patriotic attitude towards their country. Bošković said that participation of Montenegro in this mission is another opportunity for strengthening the capacity of the Armed Forces of Montenegro and inter-ally trust.

Today, the Navy Safety Authority (UPS) has received a modern new SAR 5 rescue vehicle, which is a donation worth EUR 220,000 to the Civil Aviation Agency.

On the handover of the ship to UPS and Search and Rescue Service (STS), the Minister of Maritime Affairs and Traffic Osman Nurković praised the UPS’ results on this plan and assessed that the donation was a continuation of good two-year cooperation between UPS and the Agency.

"With the boat, a thermo-vision camera was also received, which can record a boat of four or a person at a distance of two kilometers, by night. With good training of the complete crew onboard and technical equipment, we can carry out interventions to save people's lives," said Osman Nurkovic.

He welcomed the successful action conducted by STS last night.

Text by Radomir Petric, on April 23rd, 2019, read more at Vijesti

Energy Efficiency Measures have been so far applied, within the two phases of the Energy Efficiency Program in public buildings, in 33 educational institutions, for which about 25 million euros have been spent, the Ministry of Economy said. The Government said that in mid-April works on the implementation of energy efficiency measures at Komanski bridge in Podgorica, worth 1.2 million euros, were completed.

"The executed works involved the installation of thermal and waterproofing on roofs and façades on all buildings, partial replacement of façades, installation of new heating and cooling systems, installation of ventilation systems in kitchen and restaurant, installation of solar collectors and installation of central hot water preparation system, partial replacement of lights, reconstruction of sanitary nodes, floor restoration, painting and other minor works," the Ministry said in a statement.

This Government, in cooperation with the Ministry of Education and Labor and Social Welfare and the Property Management, implements two phases of the Energy Efficiency Program in public buildings, which include the application of these measures in selected educational and social institutions and administrative facilities.

For the implementation of the program funds from the KfW Bank were provided, worth EUR 13.94 million for the first phase and 22.74 million for the second.

"Last year, five educational institutions, including the Gymnasium "Slobodan Skerović", resource center for children and youth in Podgorica "1st June", as well as primary and secondary schools "Aleksa Djilas Beco" and "Vuksan Djukic" in Mojkovac, saw an investment of 5.1 million euros," said the Ministry of Economy. They added that the tender for the selection of contractors for the reconstruction of kindergarten “Our joy” in Herceg Novi, planned for this year, is ongoing.

Text by MINA Business, on April 23rd, 2019, read more at Vijesti

Citizens who have properties in the rural area of ​​the Pluzine Municipality will be exempt from paying real estate tax this year, as stated in the proposal of the president of this municipality Mijusko Bajagic.

The Socialist People's Party (SNP) announced that the proposal was adopted at the local parliament session on Monday.

"As stated in the statement’s explanation, tax exemption is a measure of encouraging the development of agriculture and creating conditions for a better life and retaining of the population in the rural area," said SNP.

As they add, the municipality of Pluzine has been facing the problem of population migration for a long time, which is particularly noticeable in the rural area.

The causes of such a trend are mainly related to significant differences in the level of village development, insufficiently developed infrastructure, limited natural resources, and inability to recruit young people," the statement adds.

As a result of continued migration of the population, villages have remained without permanent residents or dominated by old households and available existing natural resources.

"For these reasons, the Pluzine municipality has decided to make such a decision to encourage the development of agriculture and rural development as a whole through the implementation of incentive measures at the local level," the statement concludes.

Text by MINA Business, on April 23rd, 2019. read more at Vijesti

April 24, 2019 - NGO Maškarada accused the Mayor of Tivat Dr. Siniša Kusovac (DPS) for intentionally mining the project of the International Summer Carnival in Tivat.

This tourist-entertainment event premiered last year with significant financial support from the local administration and the Tourist Organization of Tivat, and the city and local tourism leaders were then very proud of the carnival and were very satisfied with the quality of this event and the number of guests it gathered. The municipality is now, however, drastically "finishing the financial tap" for the carnival, which is perceived as a political pressure by the local DPS-SD-HGI government in the Maškarada as a summer carnival manager Goran Božović, who a few months ago due to the conflict with Kusovac, publicly left the DPS and moved to the Montenegrin party.

April 24, 2019 - The session of the Municipal Assembly of Kotor, where the councilors will decide on the Proposal for the dismissal of the President of the Municipality of Kotor Vladimir Jokic, is scheduled for today at noon. The proposal for the removal of Jokić was jointly filed by the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and opposition parties in that city - the Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS), the Social Democrats (SD) and the Croatian Civic Initiative (HGI).

23 April 2019 - According to the conclusions from the first session of the Honorary Committee of the Games of the Small States of Europe 2019, chaired by the Committee Chairman Prime Minister Duško Marković, the Government of Montenegro, Podgorica Capital City, the Old Royal Capital Cetinje and the municipalities of Budva, Bar and Tivat, as well as the competent state authorities, are undertaking all necessary activities in order to organize the 13th Games of the Small States of Europe 2019, which will be held in Montenegro from 27 May to 1 June. These actions are being conducted to provide all necessary conditions for the organization of the games at the highest level, and to use them to promote Montenegro as a stable country and prestigious investment and tourist destination.

Mayors and presidents of municipalities in which the games will be held informed the Committee about the infrastructure preparation to hold the games, recognizing the importance of the competition that will gather more than 1,000 athletes, and numerous accompanying staff. They expressed their full readiness to financially contribute to the event by allocating budget funds, in addition to 605.000 EUR which the Government allocated for the event so far.

The Honorary Committee invited public companies and other sponsors to support the competition within the bounds of their possibilities, thus contributing to further affirmation of the country.

"The Games of the Small States of Europe do not only have significance in the aspect of sports. Taking into consideration that the participants of the games include small but successful countries of the European Union and since there are renowned sports organisations behind these countries, this is a real opportunity for Montenegro to present itself once again to the world in a high-quality manner and to confirm its economic, political and sporting commitments," PM Marković stressed.

The Games of the Small States of Europe, which have been held since 1985, currently bring together nine countries: Andorra, Montenegro, Iceland, Cyprus, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, and San Marino. The competitions are organised in athletics, bocce, volleyball, beach volleyball, basketball, swimming, judo, shooting, tennis and table tennis.

23 April 2019 - The fortress walls of the Old Town Budva, which reveal the marvellous Budva Riviera, are officially open for visitors, and the entry ticket price is two euros.

As announced from the Museums and Galleries of Budva, the price of the ticket includes a brochure about the history of the fortress wall, which interested visitors can request in English, Russian, Montenegrin and soon in the German language.

The access to the fortress walls of the Old Town Budva is currently available from 10 am to 6 pm. Starting from June 1, the working hours will be from 10 am to 8 pm.

Budva represents one of the oldest urban centres on the Adriatic, being more than 2,500 years old.

As vividly illustrated by Way to Monte, the mighty fortress wall around the Old Town Budva in Montenegro was rebuilt by the Venetians during the Renaissance after a devastating earthquake in the 17th century. The first defensive constructions of the city were erected at this location in the 9th century, and one of the ancient fortress walls was part of the Benedictine monastery that overlooked the coast. According to ancient engravings in the Museum of Budva, the city fortifications of the 16th century have six somewhat elongated towers and one round tower, between which there are stretched thick walls laid out of hewn stone. Its borders were unchanged for several centuries, as the number of residents of the city did not exceed 1000 people.

After the massive earthquake in Montenegro on April 15, 1979, Old Town Budva and its fortification wall were destroyed for the second time, and restored only later in 1987. To date, the Old Town Budva is an architectural monument of antiquity and is protected by UNESCO. The Old Town Budva is a whole open-air museum with a great number of attractions, cultural sites and historical monuments where people still live in medieval buildings of hewn stone. Its protective fortress walls are a famous tourist attraction, since the whole Budva Riviera is visible from the site. From this viewpoint, visitors can observe the modern residential part of Budva, fishing boats and luxurious yachts, various churches and temples, as well as ancient streets and ancient inner courtyards.

Narrow aisles and staircases on the fortress walls of the city are found in several places of Old Town Budva. One of these passages to the fortress is located near the gate opposite the hotel Avala. To get to it, a visitor just needs to go inside the Old Town, immediately turn left and go through the summer terrace of the Mozart restaurant.

The fortress wall has a shape of a horseshoe, which means that it is not closed and visitors cannot make a full circle around the Old Town. Despite this, they can spend a lot of time looking at the brickwork and ancient loopholes, as well as enjoy stunning panoramic views of the Adriatic Sea, the mighty rocks, the marvellous nature of Montenegro and the coastal settlements.

On the occasion of April 22^nd, Earth Day, pupils from the high school "Braca Selic", with the support of NGO Natura, Forestry Directorate of Montenegro and the Kolasin Municipality, carried out afforestation of the locality Bakovici.

With this action, they continued the two-decade cooperation of NGO Natura with numerous partners, within which more than 25,000 seedlings of different tree species have been planted.

Monday's activities are part of the initiative "Ecological City in the Ecological State", in partnership with NGO Civic Youth Initiative from Rozaje and within the project "Together for a Better Climate in Montenegro."

This project is implemented by Green Home, in cooperation with partner organizations Climate Action Network from Brussels (CAN Europe) and the Council for the Green Building of Montenegro. It was supported by the European Union Delegation to Montenegro through the IPA Civil Society Development Program 2016.

Text by Dragana Scepanovic, on April 22nd, 2019, read more at Vijesti

The program "Spring in the Snow", which is held for the third consecutive year in Orjensko sedlo (1600 m above sea level), organized by the Agency for Development and Protection of Orjen and the hiking club "Subra" from Herceg Novi, allowed visitors to enjoy the snow while at the coast, the swimming season began.

"Lovers of the mountain from Herceg Novi and Dubrovnik attended and participated in the attractive creation of snowball cocktails and ice cream, presented by the Agency for Development and Protection of Orjen. Preparing and tasting under the open sky is part of an unforgettable experience, completed with a "silly" contest in sledding, on the polygon "excavated" only for this occasion by the members of the Mountaineering Club “Subra”," the Agency said.

A kind of bobsledding trail is set on the steep slope of the nearby Kosmaš, about a several hundred meters long. The depth of the trail provided safe passage and avoided the Orjen pond, the largest water surface on this otherwise arid mountain.

The fastest were awarded diplomas from "Spring in the Snow", an event by which, this year, the organizers marked with Earth Day.

"This illustrative way emphasizes that everything is connected, and that regional pollution of the atmosphere could have a negative impact on the chemical composition of the snow on Orjen, and that future climate change could seriously endanger the existence of Orjen spring snow, the natural phenomenon of the mountain on the edge of the warm Adriatic sea," said the Agency for Development and Protection of Orjen.

Text by Vijesti online, on April 22nd, 2019, read more at Vijesti