DPM Marković: Resolving issue of refugees and displaced persons remains one of Montenegro’s key priorities

Podgorica, Montenegro (21 December 2012) – The policy addressing the issue of displaced persons, based on the strong will of the Montenegrin Government, the UNHCR and the European Commission, has been giving excellent results, Head of the UNHCR Office in Montenegro Brita Heleland and Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Justice Duško Marković concluded at a meeting earlier today.

Ms Heeland praised the work of the Coordination Committee for monitoring implementation of the Strategy for resolving issue of displaced and internally displaced persons in Montenegro, particularly referring to refugee camp Konik. The Committee’s activities, she added, are the basis for taking decisive steps towards finding out high quality solutions to that issue.

DPM Marković announced that the session of the Coordination Committee will be held by the end of 2012 and will consider the Report on the implementation of measures given in the Integrated Action Plan for the implementation of the Strategy, with special reference to the refugee camp Konik and draft action plan for the following year.

“Although Montenegro is a multi-ethnic and multi-religious society, UNHCR has helped us a lot to better understand the calamities that had befallen the people who found a safe haven here and to be more careful in providing protection to those people and their families,” he noted.

Resolving the issue of displaced persons remains one of Montenegro’s key priorities, and is to be tackled through the work of the Coordination Committee, as well as through national housing project within “Sarajevo process - Belgrade initiative”, DPM Marković pointed out. On this occasion, he thanked Ms Heleland for the appreciable financial and material support that UNHCR has provided to Montenegro to date, voicing expectations that the cooperation with the new UNHCR Head will be equally successful as that he had with Ms Heleland.