The 49th edition of the event "Ratkovic Evenings of Poetry " was officially opened in Bijelo Polje last night.

This year's program of one of the most significant and long-lasting literary events in our country will last for three days, and the event was opened by the Minister of Culture Aleksandar Bogdanovic.

He emphasized that there are few cities in the region where a literary event can count on the level of enthusiasm which he finds every September in Bijelo Polje during Ratkovic Evenings of Poetry.

“During these almost two decades of the new millennium, we have witnessed the extinguishing of a considerable number of literary manifestations in the region, as poetry collections in the book market have been retreating before the onset of commercial editions, and the position of poets in society has increasingly become an existential adventure. In this context, the importance of the persistence of the concept of "Ratkovic Evenings of Poetry" is revealed, which obliges us to treat this event with special responsibility, but also to search for innovative forms of popularization of poetry and its connection with artistic expressions brought by the new age. The state of Montenegro recognized in due course the need for additional engagement to overcome the aforementioned problems, thanks to which, in 2010, Ratkovic Evenings of Poetry were given the status of a manifestation of special importance for culture, which not only ensured its survival but also provided essential logistics for finding new models of affirmation of poetry and literature in general," he emphasized.

During the opening, the participants were greeted by the Mayor of Bijelo Polje Petar Smolovic.

“Risto Ratkovic portrayed the gallery of characters from our region, his homeland, paradigmatically in a negative and positive sense, just as it makes literature more visceral and compelling than all scientific fields. He is the pillar of our spirituality, growing with our awareness that we are devoting ourselves to him, not only by the annual festive and competitive acts, but by the cultural exchange in the environment, in conveying his poetic sparks and prose images of the time in which he lived," said Smolovic.

Kemal Music, director of "Ratkovic Evenings of Poetry" said that after almost half a century of existence, the event had become poetry itself.

"We consolidate our foundations with thoughtfulness and knowledge, tradition and cultural, moral, social and ethnic values, all with the aim of nurturing the creativity and artistic design of individuals and groups, with the ambition to be a mark of value recognition and a dry seal on the rich Montenegrin art scene," he pointed out.

Text by CdM, on September 4th, 2019, read more at CdM

Podgorica Art Festival (PAF) has extended the deadline for submitting entries to the festival until September 15th. In this way, interested artists and creators from Montenegro who have not completed the online application so far have been allowed to present their works within two distinct segments of the festival: Open Gallery and Open Stage.

The Open Gallery is the central exhibition space for artists to exhibit their paintings, drawings, photographs, sculptures and / or works of applied art, while the Open Stage is reserved for student films, plays, classical music concerts, and literary events.

The Fifth PAF will be held from 18 to 22 September in the center of Podgorica, at several locations - at Bokeska and Njegoseva Street, in Njegoseva Park, on the plateau in front of the monument to Peter I Petrovic Njegos and in the urban settlements Stari aerodrom and Pobrezje.

PAF is an interdisciplinary festival of music, drama, art and literature that brings together young and old, established artists from Montenegro and the region, and in its form, content and scope is a unique festival in the region. About 400 participants and exhibitors from Montenegro and the surrounding region are expected to attend PAF this year.

More information is available at www.artfest.me

Text by CdM, on September 5th, 2019, read more at CdM

According to the Ministry of Culture, the first artistic program within the Day of Montenegro in Slovenia, on Wednesday, September 11, is on the stage "Vodni stop" in Celje.

"That evening, starting at 8.30 pm, the repertoire will feature the play „The Confusions of Young Törless“, produced by the Alternative Theater Active Company (ATAK) and KIC" Budo Tomovic ". This is an adaptation of Robert Musil's novel. The play was directed by Zoran Rakocevic and played by Marko Todorovic. Entrance will be free," the culture department said.

The audience in Ljubljana will also have the opportunity to stage another piece of the independent theater scene on Thursday, September 12th, followed by a concert by one of the most important hip hop bands in the former Yugoslavia.

"Namely, at 7 pm, at the Mini Theater in the Slovenian capital, with a free entrance, the piece "Milk Powder" of the Alternative Theater Active Company (ATAK) from Podgorica will begin. The play was made by Dragan Tripkovic, directed by Stevan Bodroza, and the roles are interpreted by Marko Todorovic, Omar Bajramspahic and Pavle Popovic," they added.

The band “Who See” will perform the same night at the Upper - Old Square in Ljubljana.

“It will also be their first appearance in Slovenia. The concert will start at 8.30 pm, with intro and warm-up set by our DJ and producer Nikola Rajovic (DJ Mono). The entrance will be free,” the Ministry said.

In designing the program above, the Ministry of Culture sought to present to the foreign audience the author's projects of Montenegrin independent production, as well as to provide the audience in Slovenia with the opportunity for the first time to see the performance of popular hip-hop artists from our country.

Text by CdM, on September 5th, 2019, read more at CdM

Officials from the Orjen Development and Protection Agency Herceg Novi and Herceg Novi Border Police have been carrying out a joint patrol in Orjen Park. This is the start of joint activities between the two services, the local authority states.

In the coming period, in order to monitor compliance with the positive legal regulations, proactive joint activities will continue in Orjen Park, with particular attention to the border area between Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The activities represent a further affirmation of the “Work of Border Police in the Community” project, and continue the good cooperation between local government and local population in the border area with the border police, concludes the statement.

Source: Radio Jadran

September 5, 2019 - The 52nd Balkan Sailing Championship begins Friday in Tivat, the first major international competition in this sport in Montenegro. More than 250 competitors from the countries of the Balkan Sailing Federation and surrounding states arrived in Tivat. The regatta will be inaugurated at 7 pm on the Pine waterfront, officially opened by the Minister of Sport of the Government of Montenegro, Nikola Janovic.

The creation of the Film Industry Council, as well as the strengthening of legislation and other infrastructure in the film industry, will be a chance for Montenegro to develop and promote itself, as well as for making the most of our undisputed potential, stated Prime Minister Duško Marković at a meeting with famous Italian actor, Gabriel Garko.

“We want to promote the film industry, and to enrich Montenegro with film content. Therefore, It is important for us that you, through your membership of the Film Industry Council, your art and your image, help us to achieve these goals,” stated Marković, adding that he hoped to increase cooperation with the Italian film sector.

Marković stated that it was particularly important to secure long-term sources of financing for cinema.

He added that for the first time in the history of our cinema, new Montenegrin films had been part of the official selection of global festivals in Montreal, Cannes and Venice, with our young directors receiving significant international recognition.

Garko is on a working trip of several days in Montenegro. Photo: Gov.me

Garko was grateful for the trust placed in him, and the opportunity to contribute to the development of Montenegrin cinema. He highlighted that Montenegro, with its natural beauty and the proximity of sea and mountains in a small territory, is of interest to all in the cinema industry.

Culture Minister Aleksandar Bogdanović also attended the meeting, introducing participants to projects through which the government hopes to encourage producers and co-producers to come to Montenegro and invest in the sector here.

Garko is visiting Montenegro for a working visit of several days, during which he will be introduced to the capacity of the film industry in the country, potential for foreign filming, and incentives for foreign producers. 

Source: rtcg.me

05 September 2019 - During his official visit to London, Minister of Transport and Maritime Affairs Osman Nurković took part in the two – day International conference on road safety on the topic of technology and innovation in the field of road safety with special emphasis on reducing the number of traffic accidents that result in serious injury or death cases and new systems of security that can be applied in order to achieve mentioned goal. Therefore, the conference presented new developments in the area of autonomous vehicles, electric and environmentally friendly forms of transport, as well as best practice and expertise related to global challenges in the road safety area. The conference was opened by Baroness Vere of Norbiton, British Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Transport Charlotte Vere. 

During his stay in London, Minister Nurković met with representatives of the British companies that are interested in investing and doing business in Montenegro. Special attention is given to the meeting with representatives of the Bechtel, a company that for years has been operating successfully in the Western Balkans region. During the meeting with Minister Nurković, representatives of this company expressed interest in the project of the remaining shares construction of Bar – Boljare highway, the project to build a high speed road along the coastline of the Adriatic - Ionian corridor, furthermore, the meeting discussed the possibilities related to the reconstruction of the Bar – Vrbnica railway, reports Ministry of Transport and Maritime Affairs of Montenegro.

In addition to the Bechtel, Minister Nurković also met with six British companies that are interested in offering its advisory and consulting services on the projects of strategic priorities for the Government of Montenegro. Minister Nurković emphasised that for Montenegro, tourism promotion is significantly important, which is directly related to the investments and transport infrastructure construction. After discussion of the priority projects in the area of infrastructure in Montenegro, Minister Nurković invited all interested British companies to invest and do business in Montenegro. The meeting organised by British Expertise International (BEI) with the support of the British Embassy in Montenegro, in addition to the representatives of BEI, representatives of the companies the WYG, the Roughton International, the IMC Worldwide Limited, the Beckett Rankine and the Strategy International also attended the meeting.

During the bilateral meeting, Ministar Nurković and Baroness Vere signed an Agreement on international road traffic and the Agreement relating to the air transport. 

Ambassador Borislav Banović and independent consultant Bilsana Bibić also attended the meeting.

Read more news about business in Montenegro at TMN's dedicated page.

05 September 2019 - President of Montenegro Milo Đukanović received a delegation from the United States Congress, led by Senator Lindsey Graham, who is visiting Montenegro.

President Đukanović thanked him for visiting and for the attention the United States and Congress paid to Montenegro, as well as Washington's continued support, which he said contributed significantly to maintaining peace, consolidating multiethnic harmony, strengthening democracy and implementing social reforms. He especially thanked him for his support for Montenegro's accession to NATO, which is the most important achievement of our society in recent history.

"When we were rebuilding our independence, we said that we wanted to bring Montenegro back to European and Euro-Atlantic values. We had a clear vision, and it proved to have a real strength to achieve this," said Đukanović and particularly emphasized the role of Congress in this, especially the recently deceased Senator John McCain.

President Đukanović also briefed the congressmen on the current situation in Montenegro, emphasizing commitment to the European and Euro-Atlantic value system, perseverance in defense of multiethnic democracy, continuous strengthening the rule of law and contribution to the stability of the region, as well as maintaining dynamic economic growth and improving the quality of life of people, as his office reported.

"We want to see more investors from the US and other NATO countries, aware that we are also getting new quality and standards," pointed out President of Montenegro.

The President also stressed the importance of more dynamic integration of the WB into the EU, as the most reliable guarantee of overcoming lagging behind, strengthening stability and prosperity, which is also crucial in maintaining the enthusiasm of the EU and its members for enlargement policy.

"We firmly believe that WB's place is in the EU and that the region can become an integral part of the European value system. The task of everyone in the region is to convince the EU of the importance of the integration process," Đukanović noted. 

He also underlined the importance of maintaining Euro-Atlanticism and strengthening NATO, to which Montenegro, as a responsible member, will make a full contribution.

Senator Graham and other members of the delegation thanked the President for receiving with compliments on Montenegro's leadership and achievements, her ability to find her own identity that would be aligned with the West in a very problematic environment. In that sense, full readiness of the Congress to help strengthen the role of Montenegro in the region was expressed, confirming and strengthening the decisions it made and their concrete implementation. Commenting on information on activities in the area of ​​reform and modernization of Montenegrin society, they congratulated Montenegro on all significant efforts and encouraged further progress.

All members of the delegation emphasized Senator McCain's attitude towards Montenegro, noting that this visit also had a sentimental line.

US Congressmen were also interested in further promoting the benefits of NATO membership, the influence of third parties, as well as its economic development, and expressed their readiness for full cooperation and support in this regard.

The US Congressional delegation also included the wife of Senator McCain, who, in front of the McCain Institute recently hosted by President Đukanović, praised Montenegro's consistency in the fight for human rights, anti-trafficking, and offered expert and other co-operation in order to improve further Montenegro's rating, which was gladly accepted.

Ambassador Judy Rising Reinke also participated in the meeting.

Read more news about politics in Montenegro at TMN's dedicated page.

Within the framework of promotional activities in the Polish market, the National Tourism Organization of Montenegro participates as a partner in the “AviaReps roadshow”, which takes place in the southern region of Poland from 2 to 5 September.

After presenting the destination tourist offer in the cities of the northern region of Poland in May this year, the promotion in Poland continues within the second roadshow, with presentations in the southern Polish cities of Rzeszow, Wroclaw, Katowice and Krakow.

Representatives from over 150 tour operators are attending, including Ithaca, Rainbow, Neckermann, Tui, Why Not Travel, eTravel, Veneto, Barbara travel, eSky, Orlando travel and Kraktel.

Polish tour operators also have an e-learning program available, which means learning online about Montenegro and its tourism offer, in order to sell the Montenegrin tourism product in this market, applying the knowledge gained in this program. For the most successful course participants, in cooperation with "AviaReps“ and the national Polish carrier “LOT” will be organizing a study trip to Montenegro from September 30 to October 3. For lucky winners of the roadshow giveaway program, the support was provided by the hotels “Falkensteiner Montenegro”, “Ramada”, "Regent Porto Montenegro" and the Travel Agency "Explorer", the NTO said.

During 2018 Montenegro was visited by 23% more tourists from Poland, while the number of overnight stays increased by 19%. Positive trends continued this year when during the first 6 months Montenegro, only in hotels visited 22.5% more tourists, who realized 26% more overnight stays.

"In order to better position Montenegro as a tourist destination on the Polish market in the forthcoming period, NTO MNE, together with strategic partners, local tourism organizations and the Montenegrin tourism economy, plans to organize a study visit for the reputable media, as well as to participate in the tourism fair “TT Warsaw”, the statement added.

Text by Vijesti online on September 4th, 2019, read more at Vijesti