The controversial British man's company "Geostrategy" of George Cottrell did not answer the question of "Vijesti" whether she cooperates with the Europe Now Movement (PES) Prime Minister Milojko Spajić, saying they are not disclosing details about their client list because they are bound by “strict confidentiality rules.”
"Vijesti" reported yesterday that Cottrell's firm, which claims to be engaged in political strategy and public opinion research, is promoting its work on its website with a video featuring Spajić and other PES officials. In addition, the site has published several analyses of the political situation in Montenegro, one of which indicates what PES should do to "retain" public trust.
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The day before yesterday, PES told the newspaper that they did not cooperate with the company “Geostrategy”, and that they would request that the video showing their officials be removed from the website. They did not answer the question of whether they know when the videos were made.
"PES did not hire the services of the aforementioned company. We did not authorize the publication of the footage in question and will initiate a request for their removal," Spajić's party said.
In a response to the editorial team, Geostrategy states that they are "an established multinational public opinion research and political consulting company," and that they fully cooperate with all legal requirements in the markets in which they operate, "which are Montenegro, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America (USA)."
When asked if they cooperate with PES, they replied that they are bound by “strict client confidentiality rules” and that they do not disclose details about their internal staff, client lists, or contracts. They did not specify which “strict client confidentiality rules” they are bound by.
Cottrell's firm claims that all clients, whether corporate or political, work with them "in good faith," and that they will never question that relationship by "discussing contract details or clients with third parties."
"'Geostrategy' continues to expand its client list, with positive feedback from existing clients and an increasing presence in the media and on the internet," they said, without answering "Vijesti's" question about the address of their alleged office in Podgorica.
A search of the Central Register of Business Entities (CRPS) website shows that Cottrell's company under that name does not exist in Montenegro. "Geostrategy" is registered in the US state of Delaware (although the website claims it is Wyoming), and in the UK - in London. The British government's website "Companies House" lists Cottrell as an executive director, and states that he was appointed to that position on February 6 of this year.
Cottrell's company has 109 posts on its website that purport to be opinion polls and political strategies, or analyses. Of these, 18 relate to Montenegro. They explain, among other things, why Spajić must "explain" or "sell" the reform to voters, what PES should do to stay in power, and how the opposition Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS) could return to power... Of these 18 posts, 10 were posted on the site between June 20 and July 28 of this year.
On several occasions, they dealt with the Montenegrin economy and the reform being implemented in that sector by the Spajić government, and they also analyzed which world leaders are most popular in Montenegro, the ways in which Montenegrin voters obtain information, the political image of the country after the fall of the DPS government, citizens' support for the European path, trust in the institutions of the system, two massacres in Cetinje, the country's relationship with its Western partners, public opinion on the war in Ukraine and historical ties with Russia...
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