Latest News from Montenegro

Freedom House Highlights Threats to Balkan Democracies

US-based watchdog Freedom House's annual 'Freedom in the World' report, published on Thursday, identified Bulgaria, Croatia, Romania and Serbia as free countries, but Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Macedonia and Montenegro as only 'partly free'.

Montenegro Shrugs Off Delays in Joining NATO

The authorities in Podgorica say they are optimistic that the US Senate will soon give a green light to Montenegro's membership of NATO - an issue which some US media claim could represent the first test of the new Washington administration's relations with Russia.

Montenegro's NATO Accession Sidelined by US

BELGRADE - NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg has dismissed concerns that the U.S. Senate may not ratify the NATO-accession agreement for Montenegro.

Speaking on January 26 alongside Montenegrin Prime Minister Dusko Markovic at NATO headquarters in Brussels, Stoltenberg said, "I am confident that the accession protocol will be ratified by the [U.S.] Senate."

Magazine advises Trump "not to mess with Montenegro"

The well-known U.S. magazine Foreign Policy has published 17 pieces of advice on its website, offered by its writers to U.S. President Donald Trump.

The article, dubbed "What to Watch Out for, Mr. President," contains a segment dedicated to Montenegro, penned by Evelyn N. Farkas.

Montenegro Opposition Chiefs 'Seek Investors' in Chechnya

Montenegro opposition leaders on Wednesday presented the investment potential of their small Adriatic country at a meeting in Grozny with the speaker of the Chechen parliament, Magomed Daudov.

Bulgaria Nears 'Global Average' in Corruption Perception Index

Bulgaria has ranked 75th in the world in terms of corruption perception and is singled out as the EU state perceived as "most corrupt" by its citizens in the latest Transparency International ranking.

Kosovo to Map Territory Amid Border Uncertainties

Prime Minister Isa Mustafa on Tuesday appointed the head of the Academy of Sciences and Arts of Kosovo, Hivzi Islami, to lead a government commission which will map the country's territory definitively for the first time.

Mustafa said the new commission would be independent.

Watchdog Highlights Persistent Corruption in Balkans

Transparency International on Wednesday published its annual global report on perceived corruption in society, indicating that governments in Balkan states have a lot of work to do to eradicate graft, with Macedonia singled out as one of the countries in which the situation has significantly worsened over the year.

Montenegro Police Launch Raids Against Drug Gangs

Montenegrin police have launched night-time patrols, raids and security checks on the streets of Podgorica after a series of car bombs and attempted murders in the capital as a result of clashes between rival drug gangs.

Serbian Activists Accuse Official of Making Threats

Ksenija Radovanovic, from the Let's not Drown Belgrade initiative, said one person from the government who had openly threatened them was Milos Vacic, a newly appointed adviser to the government's Office for Kosovo and Metohija, and former leader of the nationalist 1389 movement.

BSE: Six New Companies Join SEE Link Indices

Six new companies have joined the indices of the regional stock exchange platform SEE Link, announced the Bulgarian Stock Exchange.

Two of the companies are Serbian and the rest are Slovenian.

Controversial Author Claims Tesla for Montenegro

A book "Nikola Tesla declared himself as Montenegrin", published in Montenegro, has added fuel to the long-standing dispute over the national identity of the scientist Nikola Tesla, who lived and worked in the US. Born to a Serbian Orthodox family in Smiljan, Austria-Hungary, now Croatia, he died in New York in 1943.