Prime Minister Duško Marković hosts traditional New Year's reception

Duško Marković – Prime Minister of Montenegro 
Address at the New Year's reception 
Villa Gorica, 27 December 2016

 

 

 

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Ladies and Gentlemen,

Distinguished friends,

Thank you for being with us also this December, at the traditional New Year’s reception hosted by the Prime Minister.

This is my first time to act in this capacity and I would like right now to tell you that I feel both comfortable and honored as your host.

It is a custom on the occasions such as this, at the very end of the year, to look back once again at the most important events that marked the year which is almost over. However, when my associates prepared the speaking points for such an address, it seemed to me that such an approach would not be meaningful. This is for at least two reasons:

Firstly, this was a year with so many important events that making only a record of the key elements of the same would have taken too much time for such a solemn occasion. Indeed, since January when we voted in the Parliament for confidence to the then Government of the Prime Minister Đukanović, by constituting the so called Government of electoral trust in the coming months, then a long electoral campaign and October elections, and all that came along with them, until the end of November when the Parliament elected the present Government – as if a whole life passed!

Well, I mentioned only some most important events in the domestic political scene. And what about the big, I would say historical steps that Montenegro made by receiving the invitation to join the NATO, and then also ratification of the Accession Protocol in already 17 member states in the second half of the year? Should we mention all these new stages that we overcame in the demanding negotiation process with the European Union to end the year with 26 opened chapters and two provisionally closed chapters in total?

Finally, as regards our economic agenda from 2016 I will mention only a few projects of paramount significance for the present but even more for the future of Montenegro: the start of works on the highway, laying underwater cable between our and Italian coast, signing contracts for construction of the second block of Thermal Power Plant and oil and gas exploration in our seabed.

As I said, just to mention these key events from the year that is behind us - we would have really spent too much time.

And there is another reason – all of us are very familiar with it and it is also evident to all of us: and to direct protagonists of these events, many of whom are right here, and to our citizens and general public.
Instead of repeating once again these topics that everyone is familiar with, I decided to try today to draw your attention to another direction.

And that is the question: can the word COMPROMISE be the word that will mark the Montenegrin political and public scene in 2017?

Compromise on realistic and sound basis.

Compromise without compromise in terms of key national objectives.

Compromise with ourselves.

Compromise without winners and losers.

Compromise – not as a sign of weakness but, on the contrary, of strength and wisdom.

I believe that the search for a compromise on overcoming the internal divisions in the Montenegrin society is a prerequisite of all conditions for our safe, stable and prosperous future. I say: searching for, not finding a compromise as I understand very well that it is not easy at all to reach this minimum consent in Montenegro that has been divided already for decades.

Compromise as a way of thinking and accepting reality has never featured Balkan nations. A prominent interlocutor reminded me of it recently when he stated that there is no an adequate term for it in our language, nor a translation for the English term compromise! Obviously, we did not need it, neither we nor the other Balkan nations!

Compromise, as we know, is not just a mere agreement. Compromise implies that you should give up something to get something.

But then that something cannot be everything!

As the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step, so I believe that the way to this great compromise in Montenegro begins with smaller steps. To name just a few:

Today, for example, we witness that 39 Members of Parliament elected in the October elections do not sit in Montenegrin Parliament. Majority of 42 Members of Parliament, who all have their legal, political and moral rights to perform their duties, will undoubtedly continue to do so even if the compromise is not possible – however, they are not happy about it. And the majority is willing to seek a compromise, particularly with those who only yesterday were willing for that search through the so-called model of the Government of electoral trust.

We have heard, of course, that there was no positive response from the opposition ranks to our offer to solve all the misunderstandings in the Parliament through a dialogue - the offer we repeated several times in the last month. However, I can assure you that we will continue to be equally persistent in offering dialogue and compromise, and even more persistent in performing our numerous obligations with regard to European and Euro-Atlantic integration and making strategically important economic decisions, in order to fulfill the promise we gave by constituting this Government: our key objective is improvement of the living standard of all our citizens.

And it is our responsibility on which we will not renounce. Regardless of being criticized these days that within the Plan for consolidation of public finances we have struck on the standard of most citizens – the one who wants to objectively analyze the measures proposed will easily see that this is simply not true!

From a complex situation in which government finances are, enormously contributed by those political actors who had adopted inapplicable laws, now criticize the most aggressively– we have found the least painful way out for the living standards of the vast majority of employees and pensioners. Their incomes have remained intact!

Consolidation measures have implied a compromise with reality: between the state of our finances, on the one hand, and income and expenditure budget for 2017 on the other. These measures guarantee that in the forthcoming year we will have stable finances and that the government will regularly service all its obligations, without neglecting the development component! It is a prerequisite for the Government's economic policy to achieve tangible results in 2017.

Of course, not only when it comes to everyday political or economic challenges - I point to the necessity of seeking a compromise in order to minimize our differences and bring us closer to each other.

After all, someone has already said: all man’s wisdom should serve that one does not do any evil deeds to itself. I believe that it is indeed the case and that we have already been causing many problems to ourselves for too long and too persistently, not having understood the essence and importance of the word compromise.

Hence my desire is that 2017 is to be the year where Montenegrin political and entire social scene will be marked by searching for a compromise.

Long ago wise Borislav Pekić from Podgorica wrote: what is really a compromise, and what is not; what is permissible and what is impermissible compromise will be measured in the end by each of us - himself.

Undoubtedly, there are important social issues that cannot be compromised or as Pekić would have said - there is also an impermissible compromise. Montenegro has opted for membership in the family of most developed Western democracy, with the certainty that it is the best way to protect its long-term national interests. The benefits of such a commitment we see in the guaranteed safety and security, in strengthening legal country, in the economic valorisation of social and natural resources for the welfare of each citizen and each family. And there cannot be any compromise on such issues!

Neither there could be any compromises on the Government's commitment to, with its all legal capacity, support successful enterprises and companies, the ones that make a profit, meet their obligations to the state and create the possibility for new employment. We do not want the state to be the most desirable employer - these must be capable and successful entrepreneurs who have ideas and knowledge to develop and expand their business. Populistically and demagogically, these are called tycoons, but in fact they are business elite that exist in all economically developed countries. If they are successful, it implies more jobs, better wages, and in the final - the fuller state budget that will provide protection of socially vulnerable categories of the population.

Dear friends, distinguished guests,

Finally, allow me to wish you all happy and successful New Year 2017 and to spend the upcoming holidays in a spirit of joy and tolerance.

I take this opportunity to especially thank my dear guests at the reception - the best students of the University of Montenegro this year, a total of 17, with the President of the Student Parliament at its helm.

Good luck and cheers!