WORLD NEWS FOR MONTENEGRO DIASPORA
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In the 1970s, Montenegro was an Adriatic tourist destination that competed with the Adriatic competition. Look at what happened in the last 10 years. Is there a European or world magazine whose cover did not include Montenegro? Was there any measurement in reference international tourism institutions that Montenegro was not always among the five most desirable tourist destinations, not on the Adriatic but in the world, said the president of the Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS) and the party's presidential candidate, Milo Đukanović, at a forum in Budvi.
He spoke about the vision of the development of prestigious tourism in a very competitive environment, and emphasized that the accessibility of a destination is one of the most important factors, because tourists do not want to have to transfer several times to get to Montenegro.
We chose as a model and we wanted to be competitive with Monte Carlo, with St. Tropez, with Port Cervo, with Ibiza... And we started that way. Invested huge money in infrastructure - because it is the letter A in the development alphabet. In order to do what you want, first of all you have to ensure quality availability. So, if you want to attract paying guests, you have to spare tourists three transfers in Europe. That's why we invested in infrastructure development, that's why we invested in improving the hotel offer by attracting brands. It was a serious momentum - said Đukanović.
Đukanović explained how tourism in Montenegro and the country's international image as a world tourist destination were planned to collapse from 2020.
During these two and a half years, we have stopped the highway project. Therefore, only what we have already completed by 2020 has been completed. It was promoted by those who are not responsible for that project, but it doesn't matter. It is important that this highway is there today, because people now travel safely between Podgorica and Kolašin, so that a new army of people does not perish, as many of them perished during the exploitation of the old road through Platije. That is the most important thing - said the DPS presidential candidate.
Terrible damage was caused by the termination of Montenegro Airlines
The president of the country said that the national airline was canceled and that the slots were handed over to Air Serbia. He expressed his fear that the national airline company was taken away from Montenegro as planned, and the damage caused.
As you can see, Montenegro Airlines has been discontinued. The one who seriously thinks about the further improvement of tourism in one country, and renounces the services of the national air carrier, is either absolutely ignorant or he wants to do damage to Montenegro on purpose. I'm afraid it's on Wednesday... In addition to the fact that today we no longer have direct traffic connections with European broadcast tourist destinations, in the meantime we handed over all the slots that Montenegro Airlines had to Air Serbia. Today they are in possession of those slots, and if we ever decide to build a new competitive national airline, we will have to start from the well - he pointed out.
He also referred to the latest problem with the ferry line Kamenari - Lepetani.
Look at what they did with Maritime Transport. Therefore, no one would do that who really does not want to spoil Montenegrin tourism and the Montenegrin tourist destination for tourists. Nothing accidental here, I'm afraid. There is nothing accidental here... - assessed Đukanović.
He called the latest purchase of an old ferry from a Croatian tourist agency, for a price seven times higher than the one at which it was once offered, a corrupt arrangement.
I looked at how they are trying to build an alternative offer across the Bay of Kotor. So I saw that Jadrolinija advertised that it was selling one of its old ferries that had been in use for decades, that it was advertised at a starting price of 80,000. Believe it or not, we bought it for 560,000?! Do you know who bought it? It was bought by a tourist agency from Croatia. She bought it even though in the last three years she had negative business results in all balance sheets, she had losses. She bought it with the commitment that she would not compete with it for scheduled transport in Croatia. So, she bought it with the intention of renting it here, at these prices I'm talking about. So, everything together with the full non-transparency of that process indicates that it is an absolutely corrupt arrangement - pointed out Đukanović.
This is what those whose mouths are full of criticism of the previous government do, that we are carriers of criminal corruption. Here, for two and a half years, they tried to prove crime and corruption, there is no indictment brought against any representative of the previous executive legislative authority, and the director of Customs from this authority ended up in prison - he emphasized.
He added that the citizens of Montenegro will not forget what was done in the last two and a half years.
I am not inclined to accept the manners of the new government which actually erases the border between the executive and the judiciary, which brutally threatens the independence of the judiciary and which brutally threatens the independence of the judiciary, but you know I want to to say very seriously that we will not accidentally forget all that was done during this period. Therefore, it is impossible to forgive those who non-transparently, contrary to the Constitution, contrary to the laws, squandered the state wealth of Montenegro for the sake of their political calculations - said Đukanović.
He also recalled the case of the Aman Resort.
They drove Aman out of Budva. They drove him out precisely because of the complex, because of a complete immaturity, the immaturity of some of your fellow citizens from that part of the Budva municipality who wanted to prove their importance in this way. So when they came to power, they reached out to the team with the explanation that the owner of the company that brought Aman as a brand to Budva, in Montenegro, was too close to the previous government - he said.
He notes that someone will have to answer for such a decision.
Do you know what is now threatening Montenegro from that adventure? According to my knowledge, 150 to 160 million damages after arbitration in London. Do any of them think that it can go without criminal responsibility? You know, if someone today embezzles 5,000 euros from a majority state company, say Budvan Riviera, they will rightfully be brought to court. But how is it that someone expects that when he alienates 150 or 160 million from the state budget for the sake of his complex needs to be accounted for on a political level, how does he think that this can pass without criminal liability? Not at all - emphasized Đukanović.
As he stated, Montenegro will have to further organize its legal system.
They will have to be held accountable for the enormous damage done to the state. The personal and private and family property of those who cause such damage to the state of Montenegro will have to be forfeited. Everything else is robbery and everything else is irresponsibility. But as I said, there are people who deal with it. This will be dealt with by the judiciary of Montenegro after the change of this government - said the president of DPS.
He also spoke about his role as president.
How do I see my role as president of the state? First, I think that we all have an obligation to defend the greatest values of modern Montenegro that are under attack. When I say the greatest values, the independence, civil character and European future of Montenegro are under attack... We painstakingly achieved independence, thus realizing the desire of generations of our ancestors for a whole century, we continued to build on a valuable foundation of a multi-ethnic, multi-religious, multicultural society, a foundation that was strengthened in Montenegro during the Petrović dynasty. That in itself is enough inspiration for me, and I'm sure for all of you, and for our like-minded people throughout Montenegro to not let what is the life's work of our generation collapse before our eyes - Đukanović is clear.
As another obligation, he cites the need to try to stop the deterioration of Montenegro as quickly as possible and to repair the damage that has occurred in the meantime.
As I already said, during this two-and-a-half-year experience, we managed to defend independence, NATO status and the European path... It was defended during this time and we should be proud of that. We defended Montenegro thanks to the state-forming opposition and thanks to the growing intellectual civic awareness of Montenegro," said Đukanović, and then looked back on the period during these two and a half years, and said that everything that was under the jurisdiction of the two governments was seriously devastated. From the economy that has not only slowed down in development but has been seriously damaged, seriously ruined in the meantime, to public finances that today really represent the ugliest possible legitimization of today's Montenegro on the international financial market. To the security system which is seriously compromised and which threatens to threaten the responsibility of Montenegro within the NATO alliance - he assessed.
The most seriously ill patients do not have health care
He also referred to the state of healthcare, noting that the most seriously ill patients do not have healthcare and that education is on its knees.
Let's just note that the health care system and education are on their knees. So, today, unfortunately, the most seriously ill patients in Montenegro cannot receive adequate therapy in public health institutions... If today, instead of being educated, the children who attend school in the Montenegrin education system, if they are to be competitive on the European labor market tomorrow, they are under pressure today , I would say, a religious fanaticism that unfortunately is promoted by directors and professors in educational institutions of Montenegro - said Đukanović.
He points out that the period from the restoration of independence until August 30, 2020 represents a very good legitimation of modern Montenegro.
Thanks to this identification, Montenegro has made serious progress on the path of European integration. Our international partners recognized all these results in that period as the result of serious commitment not only by the governments but also by the Montenegrin society on the way to reaching European standards, thanks to which Montenegro gained the confidence to become at that moment one of the 27 countries of the Euro-Atlantic community, the most prestigious political and military alliance in the history of mankind, and to come to the lobby of the European Union - announced Đukanović in Budva.
He pointed out that the storm and the circumstance that we live in this part of Europe are constantly renewing temptations through which we must once again test our freedom and our dignity, as he pointed out not only individually, but state and nationally.
He also referred to the experience of our country and its citizens with the Krivokapić and Abazović governments.
It is a politics without a backbone, without a guiding idea, without an identity. It is a policy made of clay that can be shaped as anyone wants, and unfortunately during these two and a half years it has been shaped much more from the environment than from Montenegro itself. That is why it is necessary that we arrive at a competent and nationally responsible government as soon as possible, at the center of which will be a serious and responsible civil party, but not the kind we had until August 30, 2020 - said the president of the country.
Đukanović said that during these two and a half years in the opposition, DPS had time to review its weaknesses.
We have to be very self-critical and very honest with ourselves. If we had been better, we probably wouldn't have experienced defeat. There is no polemic with the will of the citizens, nor will it help us to stay only in the analysis of whether they made a mistake, and whether two and a half years of experience confirmed that we were good and that the citizens were not thoughtful enough. No, that's not taking us anywhere... These two and a half years are not wasted, these two and a half years are in a way a boon for us, freed from the responsibility of leading state policy, to carefully review all our weaknesses, to get rid of them, to prepare, to let's present it to the citizens of Montenegro in a different way - stated Đukanović.
Necessary stabilization of finances
As he pointed out, one of the three priorities is the dynamic economic development of the country and the stabilization of finances.
In the period from 2006 to 2020, Montenegro was the most dynamic economy in Southeastern Europe and, by all parameters of development, the most developed country in the Western Balkans. It was not so often in Montenegrin history, regardless of the fact that it is a thousand years old. I would say it was the first time. It was because we had a seriously thought-out economic and development policy. We were aware that this is the time when you are struggling to attract the capital you need to build expensive infrastructural and other projects that will create jobs, strengthen social stability and make you competitive on the global, first of all, European market - pointed out Đukanović .
The President said that Montenegro will become a member of the EU in the next five years.
We are known for not leaving work unfinished. Therefore, in the next five years of my mandate, Montenegro will be a member of the European Union", Đukanović was more than clear, and states that he says this with perfect responsibility and experience. I know what work remains to be done and I know how that work is completed. And on the basis of that, I say perfectly responsibly - we don't need more than two and a half, at most three years of the work of a responsible, reforming government to finish this work and to say that Montenegro is ready for membership", Đukanović points out, and then adds indicates the path that leads us to it. - said Đukanović.
He is sure of winning the presidential elections, which, according to him, will be a good springboard for the parliamentary elections.
I already drew it. Victory in the presidential elections on March 19. That victory opens the door wide to victory in the parliamentary elections that will follow just a few months later. After that, the conditions were created for Montenegro to get a responsible host state again, a responsible, competent, implicitly coalition, pro-European government. Montenegro needs such a government in order to achieve the priorities I told you about, in order to overcome this final section on the path to the European value system, which is the only possible way to achieve what is the ultimate goal of every responsible policy - the European quality of life - he said. Đukanović.
At the end, the president of the state stated that party affiliations are not crucial here, but that the responsibility of each individual is crucial, as well as whether we want our Montenegro to last and whether we want a secure future for our children?
Do we want such a future that will ensure that our children stay here to live in a free, stable, safe Montenegro and that they can work here for their own well-being and for the well-being of their families. Since I am sure that we all have that parental instinct and that parental responsibility, then I have no doubt that you will do what is up to you, and that on the 19th night we will look forward to another great victory of democratic and European Montenegro - concluded the president of DPS and candidate for President of Montenegro Milo Đukanović.
POBJEDA
