Montenegro needs a more advanced model for cooperation with the diaspora and emigrants from the United States, with mentoring the transfer of knowledge and skills to their home country, said members of the Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS) delegation at a donor dinner in New York.
As announced by DPS, they are participating in the celebration of 20 years of existence and work of the Gusinje Foundation.
DPS Vice President Abaz Dizdarević told the members of the Gusinje Foundation that their success in a metropolis like New York is not at all accidental.
"How did people from Gusinje and Montenegro succeed in America? A seemingly small, but in thinking cosmopolitan environment like Gusinje, taught you to live without prejudice. In Gusinje and Montenegro, you learned multinational, multi-religious and multicultural harmony, so the process of integration into a new social community was simpler for you," said Dizdarević.
Recalling that the diaspora and emigrants annually help Montenegro with more than 500 million euros, Dizdarević suggested that by actively involving the highly educated and professional diaspora in the scientific and economic life of Montenegro, its modern path of development would be much simpler and more successful.
The head of the DPS Parliamentary Group, Andrija Nikolić, told the gathering that Montenegro must elevate the issue of the diaspora to the level of one of the most important state priorities.
"We continue to nurture traditionally good relations with the diaspora and emigrants from Gusinje and Plav, out of a sense of deepest gratitude for the important role you played in all the achievements of state policy led by the Democratic Party of Socialists, and especially during the restoration of Montenegro's independence," Nikolić assessed.
Nikolić recalled that the restored independence on May 21, 2006, was a joint life's work of the state of Montenegro and its diaspora, and that everyone in the country, he added, has reason to be proud of the fact that minority peoples made a crucial contribution to that millennium goal of Montenegro.
"In this way, smaller nations have expressed their trust in Montenegro, and therefore the state today, whoever is in power, is obliged to treat that trust responsibly, in terms of the policies it plans towards the diaspora. The civic concept of the state is the code for the survival of Montenegro," said Nikolić.
Member of the DPS Presidency and President of the Plav Municipal Assembly, Alen Balić, said that the connection between the homeland and the diaspora remains the greatest common strength and obligation, which must be preserved and passed on to future generations.
"Maybe Plav and Gusinje are not the center of the world, but they are the center of our world - and that is a value that no one can take away from us. The Gusinje Foundation, with its work, leaves a lasting mark and strongly contributes to the preservation of identity and togetherness. Montenegro is at a crossroads today, but I am convinced that through joint efforts we will preserve its civic values and a sense of equality for all citizens," said Balić.
As announced by the DPS, on the second day of their stay in New York, their representatives will take part in a roundtable discussion entitled "Quo vadis Montenegro?", where they will discuss with other participants what the real social and political direction of Montenegro is and what role and importance the diaspora and emigrants have for preserving the civic concept of Montenegrin society, as well as the economic development of the country, especially in the north.
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