The US Embassy says again: Independent Public Service is the key to EU ambitions

The American Embassy continues to monitor events in the Public Service, and freedom of the media is crucial for Montenegrin's Euro-Atlantic and EU aspirations, the US Embassy said on its official Twitter account.

The American Embassy continues to monitor developments in the public service #Montenegro @MMC_RTCG. #SlobodaMedia is crucial for Montenegrin Euro-Atlantic and EU aspirations.

- US Embassy Podgorica (@USEmbassyMNE) June 1, 2018

The US embassy previously announced that they support independent and responsible media, after the civil sector warned that the goal of the Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS) is to regain control of Radio and Television of Montenegro.

DPS then rejected those allegations, claiming that they had no interest in influencing the management structures of the public service.

Member of the RTCG Council, Mimo Drašković, announced yesterday that he will submit an initiative today to discuss the dismissal of RTCG General Director Andrijana Kadija.

He announced the initiative for the first time at the session on December 29, while at yesterday's session of the RTCG Council said that he will formally submit the initiative for her dismissal today.

Drašković did this during the discussion on the RTCG contract with the Center for Civic Education (CGO), and after Kadija left the session and called on the members of the Council to "pull the plug" and replace her.

Yesterday, the heated discussion was initiated by the initiative of the president of the RTCG Council, Ivan Jovetić, to reach a conclusion at the session that the management automatically informs that body of all information of importance for that media house. He problematized that the Council did not know with whom Kadija was meeting, as well as about contracts with CGO and other organizations until they asked for it.

Kadija announced her resignation if such a proposal is adopted, because, as she said, "not even for a million euros" would she work in such an atmosphere.

The embassy also tweeted before the election of Kadija

A few days before the vote for the election of the new General Director of RTCG Andrijana Kadija last year, the US Embassy published a message on Twitter which, according to some of the public, determined the members of the Council to vote for her.

Namely, on March 17 last year, the American embassy wrote on Twitter that it supports the non-political process of selecting candidates for leadership positions in the public media, based on ability, not party affiliation. Four days later, on March 21, Kadija was elected director by a narrow majority. The other members voted for Radojka Rutović, who previously resigned from that position.