May 20, 2018 - Montenegrin Prime Minister, Dusko Markovic, on the occasion of the Independence Day of Montenegro, announced that the country has, over the past twelve years when the restoration of state independence took place, imposed itself a factor of stability in the region. He also noted that NATO membership directly contributed positively to the Montenegrin economy and that the Government will continue to invest in the reform processes.
“Montenegro positioned itself as an important factor of stability, promoting dialogue and tolerance, building bridges and creating an environment in which all of us turn to the past less and look more towards the future. Thus, even as the smallest country of the region, Montenegro has given the greatest contribution to the Balkan stability, aware that there is no progress without stability; there is no joining to the developed European states; there is no economic recovery nor better life for our citizens," the Prime Minister said in his address at the reception which he organized on the occasion of Independence Day. He also reminded us that Montenegro and its society have been sharing the benefits of NATO membership, which has, once for all, provided Montenegro with state stability, the inviolability of borders and security for Montenegrin citizen. Therefore, as he mentioned, the Montenegrin economy is among the fastest growing economies in Europe.
Prime Minister Markovic also reviewed the current transitions by adding that the transformation from the least developed republic of the former SFRY to a full member of NATO and a candidate country for European Union membership represents enormous progress itself, keeping in mind that the country is located in a turbulent environment and ambiance in general. Therefore, he concluded that the Government’s goals are security, legal certainty, stability and progress of citizens.
“That is why we shall continue to work in a dedicated way, paying attention to the gist, and not merely bureaucratically. By ensuring professional and sustainable institutions, legal certainty for all without exceptions, chasing the criminals away from our streets, having zero tolerance for corruption, having a regulated media market, media freedom – not as a declaratory goal – but as an adopted democratic value. We should achieve this in a restored political dialogue with all political and other stakeholders in the society. We should not be giving up on our political differences and critical relation towards the quality of societal reforms and their dynamics, but we should have the same relation towards the European perspective of the country. The Government is already today ready for that dialogue. For our Parliament to become a temple of democracy, for civil society to improve our public policy, and for journalists to be free and protected," said Prime Minister Dusko Markovic.
Markovic also added: “Exactly 100 years ago, at the end of the Great War, our state was taken away from us by grave injustice, even though we suffered many casualties on the winning side in that war. Those who wish to present this as a liberation of Montenegro, by glorifying 1918 want to see the year of 2006 and our historic referendum decisions revisited. However, they forget that Montenegro and its citizens have learned in the meantime, once and for all, that those who do not remember their past – will have to repeat it!”
Finally, he concluded that Montenegro should not allow the reorganization and attempts at meddling with its history and manipulating the year of 1918 that was tragic for Montenegro.
