15 February 2019 - The 15th Open Swimming Championship of Montenegro, a sporting event organised within the official program of the 50th Mimosa Festival will be opened at the Simo Milošević Institute in Igalo on February 16, followed by the 24th International Swimming Meeting "Montenegro Mimosa Cup". This year's swimming meeting will gather over 400 competitors from all countries which were a part of the former Yugoslavia, as well as from Italy, Hungary, and Russia.

The delegates' meeting and cocktail gathering at the Institute, which will be held on February 15, will precede the competition, organized by Herceg Novi Municipality and Public Culture Institution Herceg Fest.

The opening of the 24th International Swimming Meeting is scheduled for February 16 at 4:45 pm, with the City Music and the performance of the city majorettes, while the first competitors will enter the swimming pool already at 8:30 am, when the first debrief is scheduled.

The first part of the competition will start at 9 am, which is a 50 metres women swimming race. The second part begins with the competitors’ preparations at 3:30 pm, after which a 100 metres swimming race of mixed style swimming for men will start at 5 pm.

The third phase of the program will begin on Sunday. From 8 am to 8:45 am the competitors will warm up. The 100 metres mixed style swimming race for women will start at 9 am.

Last year's winner was Swimming Club Olimpija from Ljubljana.

The event is supported by the Government of Montenegro, Water polo and Swimming Federation, Olympic Committee and numerous sponsors.

Source: Radio Jadran

15 February 2019 - At its latest session, the Government of Montenegro passed the Draft Law on the Ratification of the Protocol on the Accession of the Republic of North Macedonia to NATO and sent it to Parliament for adoption under the shortened procedure.

The rationale of the proposed law states that, by reaching a historic agreement with Greece on the new name in June 2018, the integration of the Republic of North Macedonia into NATO, after many years of stagnation, marked significant progress and at the NATO Summit in July 2018, Macedonia was invited to start accession talks with the Alliance. With the adoption of constitutional changes in the Parliament and the ratification of the Prespa Agreement by the Greek Parliament, the conditions for the signing of the Protocol on the Accession of the Republic of North Macedonia to NATO were created at the North Atlantic Council meeting (NAC) on 6 February 2019.

The discussion, where several members of the Cabinet took part, highlighted the efforts, visionary and courage in the process of stabilising the situation in Macedonia and the opening of the European and Euro-Atlantic perspective of the country, as well as the continuous support that Montenegro has provided at the meetings between the two prime ministers Duško Marković and Zoran Zaev, as well as on other occasions. Montenegro wants, the discussion stressed, to be among the first NATO members to ratify the Protocol.

Prime Minister Duško Marković noted that Montenegro is pleased to express the desire for the friendly country to end the membership negotiations as quickly as possible and become the 30th member of NATO.

"Montenegro reaffirms the support it has provided to Macedonia, which will become an additional stability factor in the region and its Euro-Atlantic perspective," the Prime Minister concluded.

On the occasion of its session, the Government of Montenegro also adopted the Decision on the calculated value for public sector employees for 2019. After discussion with representatives of trade unions of Montenegro, the calculated value of the coefficient, as well as in previous years, was determined in the amount of 90 euros.

15 February 2019 - On his visit to United Nations Organization for Education, Science, and Culture (UNESCO), Minister of Culture and President of the National Commission for UNESCO Aleksandar Bogdanović also spoke with Audrey Azoulay, General Manager of the organization. 

Minister Bogdanović expressed the pleasure that Montenegro currently has four entries on the UNESCO World Heritage List, two of which are independent - the Natural and Cultural-Historical Area of Kotor and the National Park Durmitor, as well as two multinational nominations - Stećci - medieval cemeteries and Venetian fortifications from the 16th to the 17th centuries, which testifies to the richness of the natural and cultural heritage of Montenegro. 

The meeting paid special attention to the state of the Natural and Cultural-Historical Area of Kotor. Minister Bogdanovic informed Director Azoulay about all activities undertaken by Montenegro to preserve the outstanding universal values of the area, in cooperation with international experts in this field. "By adopting the Action Plan for reaching the requirements of the Committee from Istanbul in 2016, the Government of Montenegro expressed its readiness to firmly address this issue and position it high on the list of its priorities. Therefore, I am confident that, with the support of UNESCO, we will preserve Kotor on the United Nations Organization for Education, Science and Culture World Heritage List," Minister Bogdanović said. 

Director Azoulay expressed satisfaction with all efforts made by Montenegro and pointed out that UNESCO is paying particular attention to the activities of all stakeholders in the area, concluding that the progress is evident and that Montenegro is expected to continue to work towards meeting the UNESCO requirements. 

Furthermore, the meeting discussed the National Park Durmitor and the need for consistent implementation of recommendations from the United Nations Organization for Education, Science and Culture Advisory Mission Report, which will be delivered soon. 

Both sides agreed that it is necessary to protect UNESCO values in all protected areas, but at the same time to ensure their sustainable development, which is possible only with the good coordination of all partners in the process. 

Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Montenegro to France and UNESCO Permanent Delegate Dragica Ponorac, Administration for the Protection of Cultural Properties of Božidar Božović and Secretary of the National Commission for UNESCO of Montenegro Milica Nikolić also attended the meeting.

14 February 2019 - The decision of the Agency for Electronic Media of Montenegro (AEM) to ban programs that potentially can be harmful to children came to the approval of the Montenegrin public.

Nevertheless, correspondents of the News Agency Dnevne novine point out that this ban should be applied consistently, and that parents continue to play a key role in protecting children from harmful content.

The Executive Director of the Association, Kristina Mihailović, notes that an inappropriate content on television, which is becoming more and more popular, can send children a bad message that this harmful behaviour is acceptable and desirable. "It is known exactly what the children should look at and what is prohibited under certain conditions. The fact is that these contents are harmful and that we should be especially careful about this, "says Mihailović.

On the other hand, Mihailović highlights that there is still the effect of the Internet and that this prohibition cannot protect the children from harmful content. "It is not realistic that such a decision will make the children stop looking at all content that is not appropriate, but then again, it will, in some way, create an impression that such content should not be displayed in the first place. At the organisation Parent's corner, we talked about this subject, and the psychologist explained that when a parent starts explaining to the children why something is forbidden, that can also be the reason to start a discussion about something that is not a regular subject between parents and children. Certainly, the inappropriate content must be a reason for a talk between children and parents, because in this story the parental role is crucial, "Mihailović said.

Sociologist Mirjana Popovic, however, believes that the ban on the broadcasting of inappropriate content for children is necessary, especially in the context of the society in which we live, "in the context of the penetration of quasi-liberal social values".

"Perhaps the prohibition, as a prohibition of broadcasting, would be undesirable if the media would offer different contents of educational, informational material intended for children, but these contents are very few, even not broadcast, or again when they carry the title “for children”, their content is often not adequate" Popović said for Dnevne novine.

The psychologist of the Examination Centre, Zorica Minć, told DN that she was looking forward to the decision of the AEM, because this decision, as she explains, is a sign that it is necessary to review and ban some content that is being broadcasted every day.

Source: TVCG

15 February 2019 - Prime Minister Duško Marković, together with heads of the Public Works Directorate Rešad Nuhodžić and the Ski Resorts of Montenegro Miloš Popović, will put into operation the 6-seater cable car at the new Kolašin 1600 Sky Resort in Bjelasica. 

The new ski resort contains, at this point, a restaurant with administrative facilities, an ambulance and the complete accompanying equipment, 6-seater cable car 1,567 m long, with the capacity of 2600 skiers per hour and two ski lanes totaling 4.5 km. For the needs of the ski resort, new road, electrical engineering and hydrotechnical infrastructure were built.

A total investment of 77 million EUR is planned for the tourist complex of four hotels along the Kolasin 1600 Ski Resort.

The valorisation of Bjelasica and Komovi implies the creation of a prestigious tourist destination with 224 km of highest quality ski trails, 52 ski lifts, 52 hotels and 23 boarding houses (condos, apartments, etc.).

The ceremony hosted by the Ski Resorts of Montenegro will start at 12 PM.

The participants will be addressed by Minister of Sustainable Development and Tourism Pavle Radulović, and heads of the Public Works Directorate and Ski Resorts of Montenegro.

The Prime Minister will make a statement to the public.

The best skier of the former Yugoslavia Bojan Križaj will open the revenge race at 13.00.

14 February 2019 - Minister of Culture Aleksandar Bogdanović met with the Director of the UNESCO World Heritage Centre Mechtild Rössler. Minister Bogdanović informed Director Rössler about the current topics and policies implemented by Montenegro regarding the four assets enrolled at the UNESCO World Heritage List, two of which are independent: the Natural and Cultural-Historical Area of Kotor and the National Park Durmitor and two multinational serial nominations: Stećci - medieval cemeteries and Venetian fortifications from the 16th to the 17th centuries. 

Minister Bogdanović stressed the importance of the transnational serial nomination of beech forests in Biogradska gora, bearing in mind the fact that it is one of the unspoiled forests of Europe. 

The meeting discussed the issues of the Natural and Cultural-Historical Area of Kotor, which is a particularly important field of cooperation between Montenegro and the World Heritage Centre and the Committee to safeguard the exceptional universal values of this area in the best possible way and preserve its status on the World Heritage List. 

Furthermore, Minister Bogdanović presented activities related to the National Park Durmitor. "We are ready to begin the process of defining the boundaries of the buffer zone, and it is very important for us to enable sustainable development of Durmitor and to fully protect UNESCO values," Minister Bogdanović said. 

Minister Bogdanović emphasised developments in cooperation with the United Nations Office in Montenegro regarding the reconstruction of the Forte Mare Fortress in Herceg Novi as a potential extension of the Venetian fortifications. 
He expressed the need for continued cooperation with UNESCO to better protect the areas in Montenegro that are on the UNESCO World Heritage List. 

Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Montenegro to France and UNESCO Permanent Delegate UNESCO Dragica Ponorac, Administration for the Protection of Cultural Properties of Božidar Božović and Secretary of the National Commission for UNESCO of Montenegro Milica Nikolić also attended the meeting.

14 February 2019 - Minister of Defence Predrag Bošković takes part in this year's first meeting of the North Atlantic Council at the level of Defence Ministers in Brussels. 

The meeting is addressing key challenges in the field of international security, bearing in mind the need to provide a comprehensive response to such challenges. The meeting also discussed the implementation of the guidelines from the last North Atlantic Council Summit in Brussels, as well as the next steps in fulfilling the critical tasks that are being undertaken to provide continuous improvement of the collective defence system. The defence ministers of the NATO member states stressed the firm commitment and unity of the Alliance in the control of arms, disarmament, and prohibition of the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, as essential segments that contribute to the preservation of Euro-Atlantic security. 

Minister Bošković stressed that Montenegro continues to firmly implement the Alliance's policies since the unity of all allies is an important prerequisite for preserving the security of their citizens and territory from any possible threats. Speaking about NATO's readiness and capability to adapt to the needs of the changed security environment, the Minister commended the progress made so far in the process of NATO's command structure adaptation, which will enable the quick response to all kinds of potential challenges. Bošković stressed that Montenegro supports the efforts of the Alliance in maintaining peace and stability, and reminded that our country sent a reconnaissance division to the Latvia multinational battalion battle group last year as a sign of its contribution to the Enhanced Forward Presence in the East (eFP). 

Minister Bošković also met with Minister of National Defence of the Republic of Turkey, General Hulusi Akar. 

He thanked General Akar for Turkey's comprehensive support to the reform of the defence system of Montenegro, especially in the field of modernisation of the Armed Forces of Montenegro. Bošković stressed the importance of implementing the Intergovernmental Agreement on the supply of uniform for the needs of the Ministry of Defence of Montenegro for five years, according to which the camouflage uniforms of the members of the Armed Forces of Montenegro were renewed last year. The Minister announced the continuation of the project in this year too. Bošković and Akar discussed the possibilities of restoring the capacity of the Montenegrin Navy, as well as the education of Montenegrin staff in Turkey. Both sides agreed that the Euro-Atlantic perspective of the Western Balkans is crucial for establishing long-term peace in this part of Europe.

14 February 2019 - On Saturday, February 16, the Tourist Organisation of Podgorica and the Markets of the Capital City are organising an event called "Day of raštan". The manifestation, which is being organised for the third year in a row, starts at 10 am at the Green market in the Mall of Montenegro Shopping Centre.

All visitors to the event will have the opportunity to taste traditional dishes from raštan, and the experience will be complemented by the sounds of Montenegrin tradition music.

The event is organized in cooperation with PI School for Secondary and High Education "Sergije Stanić" and the restaurant "Radovče".

"By organizing such events we would like to further contribute to the promotion of the gastro offer of the Podgorica region, and the affirmation of the Green market, as a place where the city's spirit is best reflected through the offer of local products," announced the representative of the Podgorica Tourist Information Centre.

The "Day of Raštan" is part of the "Market Caravan" event that began three years ago with the organization of the "Day of Sponge Cake" at the city's main market.

Total Montenegro News already reported on the health benefits of eating raštan. "If in some cases you are forced to choose only one vegetable for a lifetime, it should definitely be raštan" - every grandmother will tell you at any family farm along the Dinaric Mountain range. Raštan, or raštika (Crambe Maritima, lat.), is rich in various nutrients and even substances for the fight against cancerous cells, was the basis of the diet of generations of people along Dalmatia, Herzegovina and all over Montenegro. Apart from nutrition, it is characterized by the fact that it grows throughout the year. However, it is best to harvest and eat raštan in winter.

Day of Raštan is the perfect event to get acquainted with the best dishes made from raštan, or even with the recipes that have been circling among Montenegrins for years!

February 15, 2019 - The sea captain, Tomo Katuric, is the president of the Alliance of the Philatelists of Montenegro, but also a member of the Royal Philatelic Society in London and the European Philatelic Academy in Paris. His great successes recommended him also to be a member of the jury of the World Association of Philatelists FIPA.

Tomo is one of the two people from Balkans to become a member of the Royal Philatelic Society in London, sponsored by Queen Elisabeth II. The Society was founded in 1869 under the patronage of the royal family and consists of 1609 members.

“I become a member in January 2007 with the recommendation of Mr Alan Higgins, an English Lord- one of the leading persons in the world of English philately, as well as at the recommendation of the President of the Philatelists of Italy- Alessandro Agostosi. It was an honor and a pleasure because you can be recommended there only through your success, and by that time I had already had two world gold medals- from Washington and Malaga,” explains Tomo Katuric.

“The gold from Washington is very special to me because it stands as the first gold medal engraved in the culture of Montenegro - as the first gold medal coming to Montenegro after the referendum on independence,” says Tomo. The World Philatelic Exhibition, held in 2006 in Washington under the patronage of the President of the USA, was also the first public solo performance of the Montenegrin Postal Service at a philatelic exhibition after 1897. Tomo won the Gold medal among 650 exhibitioners from 70 countries presenting his unique collection “The Postal History of Boka 1809-1875.”

He is the successor to the old Captain's family from Kamenari in Boka Bay. About 50 percent of philatelic collections that he now owns with his wife and son succeeded, while the rest managed to upgrade to world auctions, thus reaching the world's largest philately class.

“The Katuric family arrived in Boka in 1697 during the Turkey-Venice wars, also known as Moreja wars. They were mainly sailors and merchants. My great grandfather Mato was a sailing ship captain, my grandfather Tomo was a merchant, inherited by my father Djuro, also inheriting the bar in Kamenari in 1906 which has been opened ever since,” explains Tomo.

He started exhibiting in 2001, but he took on philately in 1974 when his uncle Lazar “handed” his collection to Tomo to continue the tradition which had been started by his great grandfather Mato. Katuric’s collection is unique, and its big part comes from the family correspondence letters.

From the collection "The Postal History of Boka 1809-1875", Copyright: Boka News"

"Today, Tomo owns up to 15 gold medals from world exhibitions. The greatest attention and acknowledgment is drawn to his main philately collecting collection from the days of Napoleon and the Austro-Hungarian monarchy. The collection "Postal History of Boka Bay 1809-1875" contains 250 letters, or 128 pages from the Napoleon era. It includes the first postmark issued in Austro-Hungarian 1850, as well as letters from the time Napoleon ruled over these areas. Until 1850, the letters were only sealed, qualifying as pre-philately, but in the collection, there were also letters with stamps, that is, after the founding of the Post Office of the World in Bern in 1874, when Montenegro was one of the 22 founding countries.

The family of Katurić is a collection of four collections, and besides mentioned, Tomo owns a philatelist collection "The Boka and Montenegro Occupation 1941-1945." The son Djordje has a collection of "The letters of the Bokelian Sailors 1839-1880", and his wife Jelisaveta achieves remarkable successes on the world exhibits presenting her collection "The Letters of Sailors from the Austro-Hungarian Fleet 1914-1918". According to FIPA rules, one man can exhibit a maximum of two, and a family of four collections. The Katuric family is also unique in our country and can boast of over 40 of the most significant recognitions of European and world exhibitions.

It is interesting to point out that the post office in Boka Bay, or more precisely in Herceg Novi, has been open for 70 years longer.

"The post at Herceg Novi was opened in 1804, 70 years before Cetinje. This shows us the history, culture and the mail of these regions. This kind of information cannot be praised by most of the 92 member states that are gathered by the World Philatelist Organization."

All collections of the Katuric family talk about Boka Bay and its maritime history, which is not surprising given that the love for collecting and seafaring are the inseparable segments of their members' lives for more than two hundred years.

Tomo is delighted to bring the story of the culture of our region around the globe, even after the celebrated era of the Bokelian maritime affairs. “I have been to and exhibited on all the continents, except Arctic and Antarctica. Thanks to philately and sailing, I have visited more than 200 cities and have seen five out of seven world wonders, proudly representing my home place Kamenari, the town of Herceg Novi, the Boka Bay and Montenegro.”

There is no rule to the profession most commonly dealing with philately. Still, within the circle of the top world philatelist, Tomo is the only seaman. “It is interesting that I am usually not called by my real name but “Bocca di Cattaro”- after my collection,” Tomo proudly marks.

February 15, 2019 - NGO Green Home will organise a public debate on NGOs and media on Wednesday, 20 February, focusing on the plans of four major hydropower plants in Moraca, where representatives of international organisations such as Riverwatch, WWF Adria, Bankwatch and The Nature Conservancy will take part.