PM Krivokapić speaks with Director of UNOPS

Prime Minister Zdravko Krivokapić held an online meeting today with Director of the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) Michela Telatin.

Prime Minister Krivokapić thanked the Director of UNOPS for the assistance provided by the Office in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as for the efforts made so far in the implementation of activities related to the implementation of the project "Norway for You - Montenegro", funded by the Kingdom of Norway, through its Embassy based in Belgrade. The Prime Minister expressed confidence that the continuation of the Project will assist the Government in its efforts to diversify the Montenegrin economy, increase its resilience and help the SME sector.

One of the most serious intentions of this Government is to try to bring the migrations that are happening in the north-south to a sustainable level, because these are purely economically motivated movements. The Project of the Kingdom of Norway is also aimed at solving this problem, Krivokapić emphasised.

The Prime Minister stressed the Government's readiness to open other projects in cooperation with the UNOPS Office, such as the Regional Modular COVID Hospital, which would include four coastal municipalities, construction of schools and kindergartens, especially in Podgorica, Danilovgrad and Bijelo Polje, as well as major environmental challenges.

"The Government recognises the problem with the environmental infrastructure. We want to truly focus on environmentally sustainable solutions, and we can achieve this, for example, through joint projects, which would finally solve municipal waste drains. So far, the solutions for the communal wastewater treatment, in almost all municipalities, have not been implemented in the desired and planned capacity."

UNOPS Director Michela Telatin thanked Prime Minister Krivokapić for his time, concrete proposals for cooperation, and the support provided by the Government to the implementation of the existing Project, expressing optimism when it comes to ratification of the Agreement between Montenegro and UNOPS.

"It will enable us to contribute even more to the development of Montenegro when we become your residents," said Director Telatin.

The Director informed the Prime Minister about the twenty-year experience that UNOPS has gained in the region of the Western Balkans, as well as with the previous cooperation that the Office has achieved with the institutions of the Montenegrin system since 2018. Director Telatin expressed readiness for UNOPS to continue to be a partner-mediator in other projects aimed at real needs of the citizens of Montenegro.