Press release: Prime Minister Milo Djukanovic meets Head of OSCE/ODIHR Referendum Observation Mission Jorgen Grunnet

Prime Minister Milo Djukanovic met in Podgorica today with Jorgen Grunnet, head of the OSCE/ODIHR observation mission for the referendum on Montenegros state status.

Mr. Grunnet told the Prime Minister that ODIHR mission, consisting of 30 observers, was already in Montenegro, with a mandate to observe the preparation of the referendum and the referendum process itself. He also said that the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly would invite fifty parliamentarians from fifty different countries to observe the referendum. Mr. Grunnet acquainted the Prime Minister with the Observation Missions core activities, including the preparation of intermittent reports and the final report following the referendum. He noted that ODIHR had had positive experiences in Montenegro and confirmed the readiness to cooperate with both referendum sides, and promote fair, free and democratic balloting, aimed at securing general acceptance of referendum results.

The Prime Minister expressed satisfaction with OSCE/ODIHRs readiness to provide support in organizing and conducting the referendum in a democratic atmosphere, as well as his gratitude for the prompt response following the announcement of the referendum date. In addition, he accentuated Montenegros positive experiences of cooperation with ODIHR, particularly in terms of providing expert support to the legislature and organizing and observing various election processes in Montenegro over the past years. He emphasized Montenegros readiness to provide all the necessary support to the observers, whose highly professional work and observation of the entire process was supposed to ensure a clear and unquestionable referendum result, which would provide a firm basis for creating a functional state and its dynamic progress towards European and transatlantic integration.