Interior Minister Konjević in Vienna: Combating terrorism one of Government's top priorities

Vienna, Austria (20 March 2015) – Montenegro's Minister of the Interior Raško Konjević attended in Vienna the ministerial conference titled “Tackling Jihadism Together”, organised by the Federal Ministries of the Interior and Foreign Affairs of Austria.

In his address, Minister Konjević stressed that strengthening mechanisms for regional cooperation in this particularly sensitive area is crucial for dealing with this phenomenon in a more efficient manner. He informed the officials about the activities Montenegro has been undertaking not only within its legislative framework, but also at the operative level, thus confirming the country's commitment to tackling terrorism as one of the Government's top priorities.

Montenegro’s state secretary for political issues at the Foreign Ministry Vladimir Radulović, who also took part in the conference, highlighted importance of effective and determined fight against these kind of threats endangering not only security and safety of citizens and societies, but universal values as well. In that regard, he underlined that fight against terrorism could not be seen as a new clash of cultures and religions, as none of them promotes and invites the penetration of evil.

The conference also discussed joint mechanisms for strengthening cooperation aimed at fighting terroristic threats caused by religious extremism. Fostering cooperation between the EU and the Western Balkans in preventing terrorist acts and exchanging information is crucial for combating the phenomenon of foreign fighters more efficiently, the conference's participants emphasised.