At the session of the Nikšić Municipal Assembly, member of the "European Team for Nikšić" Kristina Šćepanović, asked the director of the Tourist Organization (TO) Mitar Barać to answer whose 200 euros was used to finance the filming of the series "Fortress" in that city, and how much the apartment is. in which a part of the crew of the mentioned series was housed, and for which 1.300 euros were paid for rent for two months, and how the market price was determined.
According to her, one of the actors who was staying in that apartment caused damage, so she asked for an answer as to how much the damage was and on what basis it was paid.
"I ask that you explain it to all of us, just be careful what you say because you have already bypassed the truth once, not to use another expression. You stated that the filming of the series was not financed by public money, so I am asking you if, since the date of your statement, have you come up with any new version of events in order to try to make amends with the people of Nikšić. And we also know why you did it - to cover up illegal actions, because the public procurement procedure you conducted is completely illegal," Šćepanović said.
The director of TO promised that all documentation related to the financing of the "Fortress" series will be delivered to the councilors of the "European Team for Nikšić" based on the request for free access to information.
"All the tender documentation was submitted to the authorities, who stated that everything was carried out in accordance with the regulations. The funds were paid to the hotel 'Onogošt'. Our goal was to help the local economy," Barać said.
The President of the Municipality, Marko Kovačević, said that the Municipality helped the production of the series "Fortress" with 200.000 euros.
"I know that these days it is popular to serve the HDZ, both in Nikšić and in the whole of Montenegro, but that does not mean that we should attack good projects for Nikšić because of that. 200.000 euros is the figure with which the Municipality of Nikšić helped the team that stayed there two months. The figure that the production of the series spent in Nikšić and in Montenegro exceeds one million euros. So, from that economic side alone, we have brought one million euros to Nikšić because we helped there series, and the money that the Municipality of Nikšić helped the series didn't go anywhere, but it also stayed in Nikšić. Over a thousand extras from Nikšić were involved in that series, and that's all paid for, over 50 additional workers for the production, too from Nikšić was included in that series, I think over 300 old vehicles were taken from our citizens for the purposes of that series and over 20 actors from Montenegro are acting in that series. I think that everyone has a clear interest. It is good that the services of the Municipality of Nikšić showed the possibility to meet such projects, because this is a project worth about 2,5 million. Here, of the 2,5 million that the state of Serbia and RTS decided for the series, one million was spent in our city. Tell me if it's an interest or not," Kovačević asked councilor Šćepanović.
He pointed out that local self-government does not deal with politics, that "Fortress" is a love series, and that the Ministry of Culture and Media checked "the script and everything else" when giving all the necessary permits.
"There is nothing controversial here, except in the minds of those who want, as we have seen in this previous period, for who knows what reasons to carry out HDZ policy in Montenegro. Montenegro is not Serbia, I agree, but rest assured, neither is Croatia ", said Kovačević and emphasized that there is no need to make "anti-advertising in something that is a development opportunity for the city".
"If it had been HRT and not RTS, they probably would have had fewer problems, but that is today's Montenegro. Some people do not vote for the Resolutions on genocide in Jasenovac, Dachau and Mathhausen because some parties from Zagreb control them, even if are they in a coalition or not? I really think that someone who called the people of Nikšić in the early 90's to go to all those conflicts to "get along" with those structures is really a bad message and that it is not a good message to those martyrs from 'Lora' who have been forgotten," Kovačević said.
He reiterated that the city benefited from the filming of the "Fortress" series, and that there is no need to reinforce divisions, because production companies from Belgrade also cooperate with production companies in Croatia, as was the case during the filming of the mentioned series - part of it was also filmed in the territory of Croatia, but no one was causing a problem there, as happened in Montenegro.
The head of the Club of Councilors "European Team for Nikšić" Boris Muratović pointed out that Kovačević propagates "retrograde policies" that his "quasi-European party", which now advocates for the European Union, has changed. He pointed out that the President of the Municipality persistently diverts the topic because he is only being asked to answer how and in what way 200.000 euros were spent and why the public procurement procedure was conducted illegally.
"But when you see that you are wrong, when you are struck by some detail, when you see that you are not powerful enough or able to answer, you pull your trump cards again and deal with those subjects in which you are best at, in which you swim best, and which, believe me, are not interesting to the citizens of Nikšić. The citizens of Nikšić are only interested in the prosperity of the city, they are interested in a better standard of living, and we will advocate for that and provide them with that in our next mandate," he said. Muratovic.
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