Prime Minister Đukanović launches public consultations by meeting with prominent intellectuals for talks on Montenegro’s future development

Podgorica, Montenegro (4 April 2014) – Prime Minister Milo Đukanović held a meeting with prominent intellectuals for the exchange of opinions on Montenegro’s future strategic development, with a special emphasis on national, economic, and cultural identity. This is the first in a series of meetings to be held by 21 May (Independence Day) where Prime Minister Đukanović and prominent Montenegrins will discuss important issues for Montenegro's development.

We wish to have a dialogue which would help stimulate us towards creating better policies and solving problems of the Montenegrin society, Prime Minister Đukanović has said, noting the importance of institutional development, rule of law, and adopting European standards with the view to achieving Montenegro’s European and Euro-Atlantic ambitions.

The emphasis of the meeting, which gathered historians, authors, and other artists and intellectuals, was on education modernisation and its application in future resource management and Montenegro’s role in the united Europe and the broader trans-Atlantic community. The participants agreed that anti-fascism is a cornerstone of contemporary Montenegro and they emphasised the importance of Montenegro’s secularity and equality of all citizens and they welcomed the responsible approach and contribution of all stakeholders to its steady development and its European future.

The following intellectuals attended the meeting: Novak Adžić, Živko Andrijašević, Slobodan Backović, Miran Begić, Marko Camaj, Sehad Čekić, Draško Đuranović, Pavle Goranović, Zuvdija Hodžić, Ivan Jovović, Janko Ljumović, Predrag Miranović, Žarko Mirković, Goran Nikolić, Dragutin Papović, Milorad Popović, Saša Popović, Aleksandar Radoman, Radovan Radonjić, Dragan Radulović, Igor Rakčević, Nenad Šoškić, Darko Šuković, and Radmila Vojvodić, as well as ministers of education, science, and culture> Slavoljub Stijepović, Sanja Vlahović, and Branislav Mićunović.