The Government of Montenegro communicated with the public about agreements with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in the language of political propaganda, hiding the facts about the announced investment from that country, just as the authorities in Serbia did in the case of the controversial "Belgrade on the Water" project, so it is clear why part of the Montenegrin public rose up against the idea presented by Prime Minister Milojko Spajić.
This follows from the response of regional communications expert Predrag Vujović, who commented for "Vijesti" on the transparency of the procedure and tactics used by the Montenegrin government when presenting interstate agreements on economic cooperation and tourism and real estate development with the UAE.
Vujović explains that before signing agreements that may have broad implications, it is necessary to clearly communicate this in a dialogue with all interested parties.
"...With the so-called stakeholders, the professional public, whether from the academic community, institutes or professional associations, the local community, residents, in this case Ulcinj, the media, non-governmental organizations, during that process, most likely, to refine, and in any case to obtain their consent. That is the only way to gain trust, and what is even more important in such cases, all of the above-mentioned turn into partners," he told "Vijesti".
He notes that this, however, only applies in cases where there is truly a public interest, which, in the opinion of many, is not the case in this case.
"And it is not surprising that Spajić and his partners chose a different strategy, the same communication path that was chosen by the same participants, apparently, in a very similar project, "Belgrade on the Water". The communication activities that the Government of Montenegro had in this case confirm this," said Vujović.
Milan Ćulibrik, the editor of the economic column of the weekly "Radar", said that the state of Serbia bore all the costs of "Belgrade on the Water", and that it donated land to investors and used public money, while citizens received symbolic income from dividends.
"Since 'Belgrade on the Water' was founded in 2014, 32 million euros have been paid in dividends, five euros per inhabitant of Serbia. When divided over this period, that's less than half a euro per year, if that's a benefit for citizens then congratulations," he said on the show Načisto on Television Vijesti.
Vujović points out that the Montenegrin government wanted, "very unprofessionally", to carry out a "propaganda blitzkrieg".
"Spajić's public appearances, Alabar's appearances at the ESG Adria Summit in Tivat, his offensive in the media, to the verbal 'juggling' of the Spajić-(Parliament Speaker Andrija) Mandić duo and their party attackers, everything was in the style of political propaganda campaigns, which, by all appearances, have become the only style and model of communication that Spajić uses," the source said.
Propaganda and populism
On the night of 22-23 April, after a debate that lasted more than 12 hours, the Parliament ratified two agreements between the governments of Montenegro and the UAE. These documents were signed by Prime Minister Spajić on 28 March in Dubai, after which he sent them to the parliamentary procedure in the form of a bill. Previously, he presented to the leaders of Ulcinj and local parties the intention of the Arab billionaire Mohamed Alabar to allegedly invest 35 billion euros in the construction of a tourist complex in that municipality and to lease the entire Ulcinj Velika Plaža for 99 years.
Part of the public, political parties and the non-governmental sector claim that the agreements are contrary to state interests in several areas and that they jeopardize Montenegro's path towards the European Union (EU). The Ulcinj authorities, part of the civil sector, as well as some Albanian parties from the state government protested against the agreements. On 29 April, the Head of State Jakov Milatović returned the Law on Ratification of the Agreement on Cooperation in the Field of Tourism and Real Estate Development to the parliament for a new decision, explaining that the Government had not adequately responded to the public on numerous open questions regarding these documents.
Alabar said that he does not yet have a detailed plan for the project on Velika Plaza in Ulcinj, but that it would be a continuation of the architecture there.
"There would be a lot of greenery, apartment buildings no higher than three or four floors, beaches would remain accessible to all citizens, but they would be clean. The local community would also be involved...", he said in an interview with Television Vijesti.
It took 6 days from the founding of Alabaro's company "Eagle Hills Montenegro" (March 22) to the signing of the agreement with the UAE. When asked how much the speed of events affected the transparency of the process in the eyes of the public, Vujović replied that in "short-term" politics there is no room for strategic communication, but only for, he claims, propaganda messages and populist stories.
"Superficiality, short-term thinking, speed at the expense of quality, egocentrism are terms that are in no way compatible with strategic communication based on common interests. Observing this case, but also earlier ones, one concludes that there is no professional public relations in that government," he said.
He says that, professionally speaking, the only way to communicate in projects where there is public interest is a two-way symmetrical communication model, and that it has been implemented in hundreds of similar cases in other countries.
“Throwing around” numbers is unprofessional.
Spajić has repeatedly spoken about an investment worth 35 billion euros, and on April 22, at the parliamentary Committee on Economy, Finance and Budget, where agreements with the UAE were being discussed, he said that this was "a conservative figure and that it could be higher."
"Do I guarantee 35 billion? I cannot guarantee it, but the agreements allow us to attract these investments, and the potential is to attract over 35 billion... 35 billion is a conservative figure and I am convinced that it can be higher. I cannot guarantee for the UAE, but the potential is huge," he stressed, adding that the investments do not go into the state coffers, but into the economy and gross domestic product (GDP).
Alabar told the Center for Investigative Reporting of Montenegro (CIN CG) in a statement published on April 17 that the figure of 35 billion euros could represent the "total economic effect of the project."
“The specific amount you are referring to does not correspond to the investment we are considering,” Alabar said. “We are currently awaiting guidance from local authorities, the community and the Government, to better understand their wishes and how we can meaningfully contribute,” he said.
Asked how the public perceives the "disagreement" in the figures of the Prime Minister and the potential investor, Vujović assesses that "throwing away" such significant data confirms the fact that one of the characteristics of this Government is a very unprofessional attitude towards informing the public.
He states that every official must be aware of the significance of the words he speaks.
"If they do it like this, the real consequence is a lack of trust, as well as resistance from the local community in Ulcinj, NGOs, the media, and, I expect, international organizations. When different data and facts are presented, it is clear that there is ignorance, even disrespect for public opinion, but also an amateur attitude towards government relations with the public. Lots of propaganda messages, facts hidden from the public, everything completely non-transparent and constantly hiding behind the word 'public interest'," the interlocutor points out.
Frequent “noises”
The fact that the Government failed in communicating with the public is also evidenced by the admission by the head of the parliamentary group of Spajić's Europe Now Movement (PES) Vasilije Čarapić.
At the parliamentary session on April 22, he said that he understood that there had been "noise in the communication" of the agreements signed with the UAE, and that the people from the government who went to Ulcinj on March 20 to present the agreements to the local government were partly responsible for this. The executive delegation was then led by Spajić, and was also present was the Minister of Public Works Majda Adžović, then State Secretary at the Ministry of Spatial Planning, Urbanism and State Property.
MP and president of the Democratic Union of Albanians (DUA), Mehmed Zenka, told "Vijesti" that Spajić explained at the meeting the intention of Arab investors to lease the entire Velika Plaža for 99 years - from Port Milena to the mouth of the Bojana. He stated that Spajić showed them "some picture" and explained that the contract with the Arabs for Velika Plaža would be very extensive and have "several hundred pages".
Vujović says that this is not the first case of "noise in communication", but that this example was only under special public scrutiny due to the importance of the agreement, adding that the term "noise" is too mild for what the Government does in public relations.
"An incredible underestimation of knowledge and professional communication standards on the one hand, and the public, public opinion and all those who truly represent the public interest. As in all sciences, so in the science of communications, especially in professional PR, there are processes that must be respected," he states.
He estimates that many people, without the necessary knowledge and experience, think they can deal with strategic communications.
"I'm also thinking of people in power. They themselves determine strategies, tactics, even create them, and then give tasks to their PR services. They think that PR is a matter of ideas, not knowledge and experience. It's like if Alabar, an economist, were an urban planner, an architect, an entrepreneur, a construction foreman, and a supervisor of his investments," Vujović pointed out.
From beach tenant to major investor in record time
February 13 - The governments of Montenegro and the UAE are signing a Memorandum of Understanding in Dubai, which, as announced by the Government, envisages the exchange of experiences on the development and modernization of state administration, and the strengthening of economic cooperation.
February 18 - Morsko dobro has announced a tender for the lease of beaches on the Montenegrin coast. The deadline for opening bids was originally March 4th, but due to "great interest" it was extended by seven days (until March 11th).
March 6 - The company “Eagle Hills Montenegro” was founded, with Mohamed Alabar behind it
March 11 - Alabar's company submitted bids for 19 beaches on Ulcinj's Velika Plaza Beach, and is currently the top-ranked bidder for nine locations it applied for. The total value of the bids amounted to almost 1,9 million euros.
March 16 - Alabar declares that it will cede any beach it eventually leases to the previous tenants at the same price.
March 17 - Ulcinj Municipality President Genci Nimanbegu announced at a press conference that Alabar attended the meeting he had with Spajić on March 14th unannounced. Nimanbegu said that Alabar introduced himself and his company, and that he was then told that there was interest in investments in Ulcinj.
March 20 - A government delegation led by Spajić visited Ulcinj and met with the mayor of that municipality, Gencij Nimanbegu, and representatives of local parties.
March 21 - Spajić is informing the public for the first time that Alabar will invest in Montenegro. At that time, he said that “a very important project is on the horizon, which would bring great benefits to the state of Montenegro”, and also announced specific figures. “If one man who offers 20-30 billion euros is undesirable, what kind of message does that send to investors in general”, he said. Asked why Alabar was at the meeting with Nimanbegu on March 14, Spajić replied that the Arab investor “was passing through and stopped by Montenegro”.
March 24 - Spajić had meetings with the leaders of northern and coastal municipalities, the epilogue of which was an agreement to submit project proposals to the Prime Minister's Cabinet in which investors from the UAE could invest.
March 26 - At the Prime Minister's Office, speaking about the Agreement that the Government signed with the UAE, Spajić talks about the figure of 35 billion euros. "This is nowhere in the Balkans, President (of the United States of America Donald) Trump is fighting for such investments, it was unimaginable in your time, 35 billion investments," Spajić said at the time.
March 27 - Spajić is traveling on an official visit to the UAE.
March 28 - Agreements signed in Dubai between the governments of Montenegro and the UAE.
8. april - Spajić said that the government is waiting for a letter of intent from UAE officials who can guarantee the credibility of the investor. "In informal communication, we were told that the possibilities are great and that the possibilities go up to 35 billion euros, which I mentioned at the press conference, but that depends on us," he said in an interview with Television of Montenegro.
10. april - Alabar spoke publicly about the announced investments for the first time at the ESG Adria Summit in Tivat. At that time, he said that the project on Velika Plaza will not be a luxury complex, but a sustainable development adapted to local needs, and that if Montenegro says "no" to the project, he will respect that.
17. april - Alabar denied Spajić's claims that he intends to invest 35 billion euros, adding that this may represent the "total economic effect of the project."
22. april - Spajić said at the parliamentary Committee on Economy, Finance and Budget that the figure of 35 billion euros is "conservative and could be higher."
23. april - Parliament confirms agreements with UAE.
29. april - President Jakov Milatović returned the Law on Ratification of the Agreement on Cooperation in the Field of Tourism and Real Estate Development with the UAE to the parliament for reconsideration.
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