Latest News from Montenegro

EU Migration Summit Pledges Cooperation With Balkans

EU leaders ended a heated debate about handling migration at 4.30am Friday by accepting Italy's demand for more help in handling the burden and agreeing in principle to set up "disembarkation platforms" to process asylum seekers outside the EU and closed processing centres within the EU.

EU leaders also agreed to spend more money helping African countries curb migration.

Bosnia, Montenegro Rule Out Hosting Migrant Centres

As EU leaders met in Brussels for a crunch summit on Thursday and Friday to discuss migration among other issues - and following rows in Albania over whether its government had agreed to host processing camps - Bosnia and Montenegro have stepped in to say they will also not host such centres.

Montenegro: Officer fires shots inside MoD premises

A press release identified the officer with his initials as E.H., adding that the shooting did not result in any injuries or material damage.

Montenegro's state broadcaster RTCG said that the ministry did not explain whether E.H. fired accidentally or on purpose.

FIFA investigates Serbian FA head, coach, Swiss players

Lichtsteiner joined teammates Granit Xhaka and Xherdan Shaqiri, of ethnic Albanian origin, who celebrated during Switzerland's game against Serbia on Friday by making a hand gesture meant to represent the double-headed eagle found on Albania's flag.

Turkish Exports to Balkan Countries Rise Rapidly

Turkish exports to Balkan countries rose by 22 per cent in the first five month of this year and earned the country almost 4 billion US dollars .

The data from Turkey's Exporters' Assembly, TIM, were collected by Turkey's state news agency Anadolu and reported on June 16.

Migrant Boat Capsizes on Bosnia-Serbia Border

A boat carrying ten illegal migrants turned over in the river on the border between Serbia and Bosnia near the village of Tabanci, near the eastern Bosnian town of Zvornik.

Police in Bosnia's mainly Serbian entity, Republika Srpska, RS, said no one was injured.

Gun Ownership High Among Balkan Civilians: Report

The Small Arms Survey, published on Monday, listed Montenegro, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia and Kosovo among the top 25 countries when it comes to the estimated rate of civilian firearms possession per 100 people.

Montenegro and Serbia shared third place, after the United States and Yemen, the report said.

Montenegro Seeks Frontex's Help Over Migrant, Refugee Wave

Montenegro said it seeks a status agreement with the EU's border and migration agency Frontex, to protect its border as a fresh migrant and refugee influx causes concern in the region and in Brussels.

An Interior Ministry document, which BIRN has seen, says an official application for a status agreement with Frontex "will be launched soon".

Montenegro Opposition Ends Boycott With Call for Elections

Leaders of the strongest opposition alliance in Montenegro, the URA movement and the Democrats [Demokrate] are heading to Brussels next week to present what they call a plan to overcome the long-lasting political crisis in the country.

The leader of URA, Dritan Abazovic, and the Democrats' chief, Aleksa Becic, will meet the EU Enlargement Commissioner, Johannes Hahn, early next week.

US, UK, UAE taking part in military exercise in Serbia

According to the Serbian Ministry of Defense, about 500 officers, non-commissioned officers and soldiers of the armed forces of the United States, United Kingdom, United Arab Emirates, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania, Montenegro and Serbia will take part in the exercise.

Montenegrin Opposition Protests 'Discrimination' Against Cyrillic

Pro-Serbian opposition party Prava Crna Gora (The Real Montenegro) has sent an open letter to the Education Ministry demanding the 'protection' of the Cyrillic script and alleging discrimination in the public education system.

Action needed to prevent new Balkans migrant crisis, officials say

Countries along a new Balkan migrant route pledged on Thursday to work together to prevent a repetition of the 2015 influx that brought more than a million refugees into Europe from North Africa and the Middle East.

Montenegro Public TV Chief Sacked Despite Protests

The managing council of the Montenegrin public broadcaster, RTCG, decided on Thursday to dismiss director Andrijana Kadija, claiming that she misused her position and acted unprofessionally while running the state-funded media outlet.

Balkan States Vow Joint Action to Tackle Migrant Crisis

Security and human rights ministers from the Balkans and neighbouring countries agreed at a meeting in Sarajevo on Thursday to create a database which will be compatible with similar systems in Europe in order to track migrants.

"We must be able to see if those people [migrants] previously stayed in Europe," Bosnian security minister Dragan Mektic told media after the meeting.  

United Media moves to acquire Direct Media

The United Media company submitted to the Serbian Competition Committee a request for anti-trust clearance to acquire 100 percent of shares of Direct Media on the markets of Serbia, Montenegro, Macedonia and Albania, which includes the request for approval for Direct Media to acquire the terrestrial TV stations Pink BiH and Pink Montenegro.

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