UNHCR set to support resolving displaced persons issue in Montenegro

Podgorica, Montenegro (6 October 2011) -- Resolving the status of refugees and displaced persons is one of the key priorities for Montenegro's progress on its European path and the Coordination Committee for monitoring the implementation of the Strategy and Action Plan in this area is an excellent basis for decisive steps forward, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Justice Duško Marković and Head of the UNHCR Office in Montenegro Brita Helleland agreed at today’s meeting.

Mrs Heleland welcomed Marković’s appointment as the Head of the Coordinating Committee, adding that it sends a message to the international community that this process will be successfully brought to an end. The UNHCR, as always, will provide assistance in resolving this complex problem, which has a regional dimension, she remarked.

It is crucial, DPM Marković emphasised, to establish full cooperation and coordination between the competent state authorities and the relevant bodies in displaced persons’ origin countries, and the international partners as well. The Coordinating Committee, according to his words, will be a body that will comprehensively address these issues, collect and analyse information and provide instructions to relevant authorities.