Milović: Montenegro expects Bajrović to have a just and fair trial, in accordance with international legal standards

Montenegro and Kosovo should finalize bilateral agreements in the field of international legal assistance in criminal matters, so that the judicial cooperation of the two countries would be more effective, it was assessed at the meeting of Montenegrin Minister of Justice Andrej Milović with her Kosovo colleague Aljbuljena Hadžija.

The Montenegrin Ministry of Justice announced that, at a meeting in Pristina, Milović and Hadžiju discussed numerous aspects of judicial cooperation between Montenegro and Kosovo.

As stated, one of the main topics of the meeting was three bilateral agreements in the field of international legal assistance in criminal matters, namely agreements on legal assistance, extradition and mutual enforcement of court decisions.

The Ministry said that the text of those contracts was harmonized for two years and that they were initialed in 2016, and since then there has been no activity on the matter.

"The position of the ministers is that the whole process needs to be updated and brought to an end in order to make the judicial cooperation between the two countries more precise and effective," the statement said.

It is stated that this is particularly related to the problem of extradition of individuals sought by the judiciary of another country, from which Montenegro would have a special benefit in the future.

"Milović also discussed with Hadžiju the case of Ekrem Bajrović, a citizen of Montenegro who has been in prison in Kosovo for almost a year and a half, on charges of war crimes from 1998 and 1999," the statement added.

Milović said that the Ministry is interested in that case and pointed out that Montenegro expects Bajrović to have a fair and just trial, in accordance with international legal standards.

At the meeting, the judicial cooperation between Montenegro and Kosovo was assessed as generally good.

Milović and Hadži told that they are ready to deepen and improve cooperation for the benefit of the judicial systems of both countries.