Montenegrin government

A local official in the town of Berane has asked the Montenegrin government to pay for the construction of a monument to WWII Chetnik commander Pavle Djurisic, who was killed in 1945.

Almost 27 per cent of more than 4,200 foreign-owned firms registered and operating in Montenegro are owned by Russians, according to data published on Monday by the national statistical agency, MONSTAT.

The MONSTAT research also showed that 20 per cent of registered foreign companies are owned by Serbian citizens. 

US Vice President Mike Pence claimed that Russia wants to destabilise the Balkan region and was to blame for an alleged attempt to overthrow the Montenegrin government last year.

Mike Pence said in Podgorica on Tuesday that Montenegro is playing "the leading role in advancing stability and security of the Western Balkans."

Beta reported this citing a statement issued by the Montenegrin government, which also quoted the US vice president as saying that the country's "courage in the phase of Russian pressure inspires the world."

Montenegrin Prime Minister Dusko Markovic scheduled an emergency meeting of the security services on Tuesday as the country awaited assistance from NATO and the EU to tackle blazes in the coastal and central area of the country, after admitting that it could not cope on its own.

Legendary producer and DJ Fatboy Slim, and soul singer John Newman will be the lead stars at the start of the post-Exit Sea Dance music festival in the Montenegrin resort of Budva on Thursday.

For the third year, the Exit festival is being held two locations, at the Novi Sad fortress in Serbia - its original location - and then at Jaz Beach in Montenegro.

After Moscow's decision to ban entry to that country of some senior officials of Montenegro, Podgorica has responded with similar measures.

Namely, Montenegro has decided to ban 149 nationals of Russia and Ukraine from entry, because of, as stated, the role of Russia in the Ukraine crisis and the annexation of Crimea.

Leaders of Balkan countries are sending messages of support to Great Britain after a suspected terror attack killed 22 persons, some of them children, and injured 59 at a concert in Manchester on Tuesday.

Albanian foreign minister Ditmir Bushati said he was "saddened by the horrific Manchester attack."

One of the main opposition leaders in Montenegro, Nebojsa Medojevic, called on the government to protect the border with Kosovo and withdraw recognition of Kosovo's independence - after Kosovo again delayed a vote in its parliament on the vexed frontier demarcation deal.

Montenegro's Foreign Ministry on Thursday dismissed Kremlin's claims that Russian citizens could be endangered in Montenegro due to worsening relations between the two countries.

The ministry said a Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman's talk of growing "anti-Russian hysteria" in Montenegro were totally unfounded.