Interior Minister Nuhodžić, Director of Police Directorate Stojanović meet with Interpol SG Jürgen Stock

Podgorica, Montenegro (19 October 2017) -- Minister of the Interior Mevludin Nuhodžić and Director of the Police Directorate Slavko Stojanović met today with Secretary General of Interpol Jürgen Stock who is paying the first official visit to Montenegro. On this occasion, Secretary General Stock visited National Central Bureau (NCB) Interpol Podgorica.

After the meeting, Minister Nuhodžić stated that both sides noted the high level of mutual understanding, support and cooperation, thanks to which the Ministry of the Interior and the Police Directorate of Montenegro confirm the status of a responsible and professional partner in fulfilling the key objectives of Interpol, that is especially relevant in the fight against organised crime, which knows no boundaries.

“We agreed that the Montenegrin police is fully committed to compliance with Interpol’s standards, and to continuously monitor the development of new services, as evidenced by the fact that we participate in Interpol projects aimed at combating smuggling of migrants, terrorism, combating illegal arms trafficking,” the Minister said.

According to Minister Nuhodžić, the meeting also discussed the initiatives in application of the law to combat crimes, especially in the part of information technology. Both sides agreed that NCB Interpol Podgorica plays an important role as part of an international platform for data exchange and operational support.

“Montenegrin police, as a reliable partner of the most developed European and world counterparts, will further intensify cooperation with Interpol, in the direction of a more efficient response to the challenges of the modern world that require rapid adaptation and common answers,” Minister Nuhodžić concluded, adding that today’s meeting is an important step in that direction, since there have been agreed activities related to the implementation of joint projects in the field of preventive and repressive action against crime in Europe and beyond.

Interpol Secretary General Jürgen Stock pointed out that Montenegro was among the first to implement certain security steps that Interpol promotes, and that our country, according to the number of inhabitants compared to the other 192 Member States, has the largest number of searches in the Interpol database of stolen cars and documents.

“Montenegro plays an important role in the fight against contemporary challenges, and the citizens of Montenegro should be proud of their Police and Government in relation to how they protect them. In today’s complex world, no state can fight crime alone, Montenegro is a key player in the Interpol Early Warning System, which helps members to ensure security within their borders,” the Secretary General said.

Stock expressed his satisfaction with the fact that Montenegro is one of Interpol’s most dynamic and the most engaged Member States which always shows great interest to participate in activities and projects.

“Montenegro is consistently among the top ten Member States in Interpol by various indicators and is a model for implementation of our capacity. This is a kind of pioneering spirit that Montenegro shows given its leading role in a number of Interpol’s projects,” Stock pointed out.

Secretary General Stock said that continuous support to Interpol by states such as Montenegro has made this organisation one of the strongest in the field of fighting crime. He expressed the belief that the successful work of NCB Podgorica will be an example to other National Central Bureaus for effective fight against crime and international police cooperation.