Vučić: Bank Poštanska štedionica is not buying Prva banka Crne Gore

Bank Poštanska štedionica is not buying Prva banka Crne Gore, Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić said today in Belgrade.

At the press conference on the occasion of the visit of Montenegrin President Jakov Milatović to Serbia, he said that the information conveyed by the media that Banka Poštanska štedionica is buying Prva banka, which is owned by Ace Đukanović, the brother of the former President of Montenegro, Milo Đukanović, is "false".

"Regarding the purchase of Prva banka from Poštanska štedionica Beograd, this is a notorious falsehood. I think that Poštanska štedionica denied it this morning in an official statement. It is one of the usual falsehoods that we have learned here in Serbia," said Vučić on press conference with Montenegrin President Jakov Milatović.

Vučić, when it comes to the establishment of full payment transactions between the two countries, assessed that this is a very important issue.

"We consider that issue an obstacle in the development of business and our economic relations. I would not like to identify the culprit, but you should know that it is completely clear from our side. It is about international clearing and we have instructed everything, there are no costs for commercial banks in Montenegro either. The Central Bank (CBCG) is also on fire," claims Vučić.

He said that there is something else at stake here.

"The largest part of correspondent banks in Montenegro are German and Swiss, and since the introduction of the euro, they want to have full control, and I believe that our friends in Montenegro will solve this," said Vučić.

According to Vučić, the establishment of full payment transactions between Serbia and Montenegro would be very important for the economic relations of the two countries.

"From our side, everything is completely clear for the establishment of payment transactions with Montenegro. In international clearing operations, Montenegrin banks have almost no costs, and neither does the Central Bank of Montenegro," said Vučić.

He estimated that the reason why full payment transactions with Montenegro have not yet been established is that the main correspondent banks in Montenegro from Germany and Switzerland also want to have full control in dealings with other countries.