PM Marković meets leaders of Plav municipality: Government is committed to strengthening economic development of north

Podgorica, Montenegro (19 July 2017) – Montenegro's Government is strongly committed to making the best use of the potentials of the Plav municipality and the entire north in order to strengthen economic development of the region and provide a better life for citizens, said Prime Minister Duško Marković at the meeting with Mayor of Plav Orhan Šahmanović on the occasion of the forthcoming Municipality Day.

Prime Minister Marković congratulated the leadership and citizens on the Municipalty Day, emphasising that the Government is committed to working together with local leaders in order to find solutions to problems slowing down the implementation of development plans.

Mr Šahmanović said that the municipalty has problems with local finances and pointed out that overcoming challenges with concessions to forests and water could contribute to better budgeting and job creation. In his words, using water resources through the construction of mini hydroelectric power plants can be a development engineer for the Plav municipality. The meeting pointed out that all serious investors in this and other areas enjoy the full support of the Government and the Municipality, and that any obstructions to disrupt investment and development will not be allowed.

The two officials agreed that increasing tourist capacities needs further investments and pointed to the plans for the protection of Lake Plav. Particular emphasis was placed on the importance of encouraging agricultural producers and discussing models of assistance through various support programmes in this area.

Thanking Prime Minister Marković for his personal commitment to the development of the north, Mr Šahmanović said that the Government through the capital budget has identified priority projects for this region. The Prime Minister urged the local government to use the funds from the capital budget, thus enabling implementation of concrete actions on the ground.

Improvement of road infrastructure, through the completion of construction of the road from Podgorica to Plav through Albania, but also through the construction of the motorway and regional road through Bjelasica, will have extremely positive impact on the development of this region.

The meeting also discussed the problems of demarcation between the municipalities of Plav and Gusinje and pointed to the importance of effectively completing the process.

OFFICE OF THE PRIME MINISTER