Montenegrin President Jakov Milatović said from New York, where he is attending the United Nations General Assembly, that Montenegro must urgently open a serious debate on immigration policy.
"Citizens tell me: due to the large number of foreigners, a square meter of an apartment has become a luxury, rents have skyrocketed, and young people who could work, some of them even while studying, have been left without the opportunity to earn money for themselves and their families. It is time to change the approach: first jobs and apartments for our citizens, and only then open up space for foreigners," Milatović said, his office announced.
He added that behind these problems "lies a broader injustice in society":
"If we look at the election of Constitutional Court judges, it has been blocked for months, because it is more important to have a party card than knowledge and integrity. It is the same in the labor market, a party connection or a party agreement is worth more than a degree and work. This is not the country we are fighting for, it is the system that is forcing our people to leave."
Milatović says that one must also think about those who have already left:
"We have lost thousands of young and talented people who were born in Montenegro, who were educated in Montenegro, and whose loved ones live in Montenegro. Engineers, doctors, teachers, entrepreneurs. They did not leave only because of the lack of work and low salaries, but above all because of the feeling of injustice and party cadres who gave them no chance. It is our obligation to create conditions for our people to return. That is the greatest capital that Montenegro can receive."
"It is time to finish the job, for immigration policy to be responsible, for our labor market to be fair, for housing and jobs to be provided to our people first, and for us to try to bring back those who have left. That is the strength of a responsible state and success that is measured by a better life for every citizen," said Milatović.
Bonus video:
