CCE: The decision to temporarily lift the visa-free regime for Turkish citizens shows Spajić's lack of maturity

The decision to temporarily lift the visa-free regime for Turkish citizens shows the lack of maturity of Prime Minister Milojko Spajić to systematically approach the challenge of migration management, respecting European Union (EU) rules, the Center for Civic Education (CCE) announced today.

CCE stated in a statement that they strongly condemn "every form of physical and verbal violence that we have witnessed in these two days and call on decision-makers to take a strategic and responsible approach to calming tensions and managing migration."

"The attack on Montenegrin citizens deserves unequivocal condemnation, and the competent authorities must consistently apply the law and sanction all those responsible for causing bodily harm in this specific case. At the same time, CCE appeals to citizens not to make judgments based on incomplete information and not to take on the role of state authorities in punishing perpetrators of criminal acts. The decision to temporarily lift the visa-free regime for Turkish citizens shows the lack of maturity of the Prime Minister to systematically approach the challenge of managing migration, respecting the rules of the European Union," the CCE statement, signed by Miloš Knežević, Development Coordinator, emphasizes.

CCE added that Montenegro has undertaken to harmonize its visa policy with EU policy, especially in relation to countries that pose a risk of irregular migration or security threats.

"Currently, Montenegro has a visa-free regime with 11 countries for which the EU requires a visa - seven permanently exempted (Azerbaijan, Belarus, Qatar, China, Kuwait, Russia and Turkey) and four with seasonal exemptions for tourist reasons (Armenia, Egypt, Kazakhstan and Saudi Arabia). Therefore, the populist abolition of the visa-free regime for only one country overnight does not contribute to solving the problem, but rather undermines the credibility of the state and opens up space for reciprocal measures, which can directly affect Montenegrin citizens living, studying or working in Turkey," the CCE statement reads.

The non-governmental organization (NGO) said that in its 2024 Report for Montenegro, the European Commission (EC) recommended strengthening institutional capacities for migration management, through modernization of border infrastructure, improvement of the biometric registration system, and better control of foreign entry.

"The spread of hate speech after the incidents in Zabjelo is particularly worrying. Chants such as 'Kill the Turk' represent unequivocal hate speech according to international standards and the practice of domestic courts. The state must react decisively to such phenomena, because silence encourages further violence. Unfortunately, the attack on a bar owned by a Turkish citizen in the center of Podgorica, as well as other examples of violence against the property of Turkish citizens, confirm the danger of spreading hatred on an ethnic basis," said the CCE.

They state that they express deep concern that individual incidents could escalate into broader forms of intolerance and discrimination against the entire Turkish people.

"To prevent this, a proactive, thoughtful and proportionate response from the authorities is necessary, not hasty, temporary measures or "CCE calls on decision-makers to approach migration management strategically, in accordance with European rules and values, prevent the spread of hatred and ensure that state actions do not produce new divisions and intolerance towards any people or community," CCE said.