Cabinet meeting discuss NATO invitation, work permits for foreigners, initiative for filing criminal charges against Nebojša Medojević

Podgorica, Montenegro (3 December 2015) -- At the beginning of the Cabinet session held earlier today in Podgorica, the Prime Minister thanked the Cabinet’s members and their associates for extraordinary efforts that resulted in getting NATO invitation, noting there are reasons for all of them to be satisfied and proud.

"Instead of usual criticism of all of us, this time I express my respect and gratitude to the members of the Government and their associates who contributed to the accomplishment of this remarkable achievement," he underlined, adding that nothing will ever be the same again in Montenegro.

"We have stepped into the circle of new civilisation values that have never been part of the Balkan societies. We sit down with the leading countries of the world," said Prime Minister Milo Đukanović at the beginning of the Cabinet session.

He added that sending invitation to join NATO does not mean the end of the journey and that the yesterday's decision should be a new incentive to work hard over the verification period. The Prime Minister said that the NATO’s decision will also affect our European integration process, and help advance the Montenegrin society.

'NATO invitation helps us recognise our own deficits, look at the differences around us with more sensitivity, successfully overcome the challenges we face and make a contribution to stability, as without stability in the Balkans there is no stability in Europe, without stability in the Balkans, there is no prosperity in any of the countries of the region," PM Đukanović underscored.

According to the Decision on determination of number of work permits for foreigners, the Government determined 14, 792 work permits for 2016. Out of that number, the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare may allocate 3,000 work permits for specific purposes, in line with the needs of the labour market at the request of the Employment Agency of Montenegro.

Within the European agenda, the Government adopted the Bill on the Ratification of the Sectoral Agreement between the Government of Montenegro and the European Commission, which defines the rules of managing and implementing EU financial assistance to Montenegro under the Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance for the area of agriculture and rural development (IPARD).

The Cabinet discussed the Initiative for filing criminal charges against Nebojša Medojević, MP, due to the criminal offense of false reporting under Article 388 of the Criminal Code of Montenegro.

The Information reads that MP Medojević addressed Chief Special Prosecutor Milivoje Katnić through the media on 17 November claiming that "key people" from the top of the Government smuggled weapon to terrorist groups, such as ISIL, Al Qaeda and the FARC, that “(Prime Minister Milo) Đukanović and his criminal organisation has turned Montenegro into a safe haven for criminals through which logistic, terrorist, financial and political operations for the world's largest terrorist organisations are being performed,” and that "if it turned out that weapon smugglers from Montenegro armed terrorists in Paris, Montenegro could forget getting NATO invitation.”

"The malicious, sensational, extremely tendentious and unfounded accusations and untruths against the highest-ranking state officials, the Government and the Prime Minister, require undertaking actions according to the law. The absence of the expected response by the Chief Special Prosecutor to take actions prescribed by the law in this case and initiate proceedings ex officio, imposes the need to respond to the allegations by filing criminal charges by the government,” the information reads.

According to the Information, the character of the allegations implying that the state of Montenegro is a safe haven for criminals through which logistic, terrorist, financial and political operations for the world's largest terrorist organisations are being performed, requires the issue to end up before the competent judicial authorities.

“This has to be done as Nebojša Medojević’s address to the Chief Special Prosecutor is a criminal offense of false reporting with all the elements of premeditation, because he consciously lies as countless times before. This time he did it so shamelessly that he challenged the Montenegrin judiciary to prosecute the lie,” the information states.

Without any intention to prejudge the decision to be reached by the judicial institutions, Nebojša Medojević has to take responsibility for his actions, just like any other citizen, the Information concludes.