The President of the Municipality of Zeta, Mihailo Asanović, announced that the Municipality of Zeta is ready to participate in the costs that would possibly arise if the construction of the wastewater treatment plant in Botun is abandoned. The locals announced that there will be no protests in the coming period until the Government and the Capital City make a statement on this issue.
Asanović said that today the Mayor of Podgorica, Saša Mujović, was presented with the conclusions that were adopted yesterday at the session of the Zeta Municipal Assembly.
"What we asked Mr. Mujović, and what we have been asking all along, is for the Municipality of Podgorica to stop building on our territory. We told him that we do not want conflicts and that we do not want an escalation of citizens' dissatisfaction," said the President of the Municipality of Zeta after a meeting with the Mayor of Podgorica in the Capital City building.
He stated that Mujović was informed that it was working hours, while there were about 2.000 citizens in front of the building, and that the mayor received them and expressed his willingness to open talks and negotiations with the Government of Montenegro as early as next week, which, he said, he would propose to Prime Minister Milojko Spajić.
Asanović said that he, the Vice President of the Municipality and the President of the Zeta Municipal Assembly announced that the Zeta Municipality is ready, if construction with a Turkish investor is abandoned, to participate in the costs that may arise through complaints or lawsuits against the Municipality of Podgorica and the Government of Montenegro, if this is in order to protect the health of citizens and the environment.
"We are ready to pay for anything that can be paid for with money without affecting the health of citizens and the environment in order to protect citizens and Botun," said Asanović, adding that they are ready to participate in these costs only if, as he stated, the "crazy project" in the territory of Zeta is abandoned, against the will of the citizens.
He said that they expect Prime Minister Spajić to arrive today or tomorrow, and that the Government of Montenegro, together with the residents of Botuni and the Municipality of Podgorica, will invite the Municipality of Zeta for talks.
"We expect that during these talks, the works in Botun will be suspended. That will be one of our demands – to introduce a moratorium on construction until a new decision is made, either to change the location or to relocate the incinerator and sludge," Asanović said.
He stated that the Municipality of Zeta is ready to participate in the costs that would arise from the possible termination of the contract with the Turkish company, emphasizing that these amounts, as he said, are not tens or hundreds of millions of euros, but could amount to around ten million euros, or up to 10-12 percent of the contracted value.
Asanović said that he had received guarantees that talks with the Government of Montenegro would follow, emphasizing that he would not "betray Zeta" and that he would not allow the sale of Botun.
"I do not want an escalation of the conflict. Heads are hot, including mine. I call on the Montenegrin public, the Government and all relevant stakeholders to get involved in solving this problem, because if there is an escalation, the least to blame for it will be the citizens of Zeta and Botun, who are defending their territory," said Asanović.
The President of the Municipality of Zeta thanked the citizens for coming and announced that the public would be informed about further steps.
Vukčević: We prioritize talks
Botun resident Slavko Vukčević said that the citizens of Zeta will not organize protests, gatherings, or blockades until the Government of Montenegro and the Capital City have made a statement on the demands of the Municipality of Zeta.
"I want to thank you all for coming today to support the leadership of the Zeta Municipality. The leadership of the Zeta Municipality has the full support of the residents of Botuni and we trust them because they have been with us in this fight from day one," said Vukčević.
He stated that the residents of Botun and the Municipality of Zeta have been open to talks from the beginning and that they have sought dialogue from the Government of Montenegro and the Capital City.
"We give priority to talks and announced talks, as the president said. We will not hold any gatherings or blockades until the Capital and the Government respond to these demands of the Municipality of Zeta," said Vukčević.
He said that the locals find injustice difficult, stating that citizens in other areas are asking similar questions.
"People in Mojkovac, Danilovgrad, Budva and Ulcinj are asking questions, but those rules and that law do not apply to the citizens of Botun and Zeta," said Vukčević.
According to him, the locals are not asking for anything more than what is theirs, pointing out that they have lived in an excessively polluted environment for years.
"We cannot and will not accept additional pollutants in our yards," said Vukčević.
He invited the public to learn more about the project, stating that it was a project that, as he said, was initiated during the DPS government.
"I want to inform you that we will now disperse peacefully and that we will not organize protests until the Government and the Capital City make a statement on this issue," said Vukčević and thanked citizens for their support.
Knežević: Let's go tell Mujović that this is not for our good
Previously, the leader of the Democratic People's Party (DNP) Milan Knežević, with a delegation from the Municipality of Zeta, led by the Mayor Mihailo Asanović, the President of the Assembly Aleksandar Kojičić, the Deputy Mayor Aleksandar Marković and the councilors of the Zeta Municipality Assembly, entered the Capital City building to meet with Mujović.
"Let's go tell him that this is not for our good and that he shouldn't worry so much about us, because there are people who care about the people of Zeća," said Knežević.
He asked the citizens to follow them to the door and not to create any incidents or tensions. He said that he expected Mujović to receive them for an interview and then entered the building.
Before entering, Knežević told the crowd that he wanted to thank the citizens who "came from the meadows and fields, stating that they "knew how to hit Podgorica."
"Because, last night, we realized that we are not worthy of living outside Zeta, nor of having houses, but that we should function in our meadows and heritages, and that this is determined and decided for us by those who have been in the appanage of foreign agencies all this time," said Knežević.
He said that they gathered today to present the decisions of the Assembly and the Municipality of Zeta to the city authorities, which, as he stated, confirm the electoral will of the citizens from the referendum held on December 14, 2025.
"62,5 percent of Zeta citizens voted in that referendum, and 98,5 percent of them voted against the construction of a wastewater treatment plant in Botun, or rather in Zeta," said Knežević.
He added that the state, as he said, has been ignoring the citizens of Zeta all the time and is applying police cars, criminal charges, spin and repression against them, with the message that the construction of a wastewater treatment plant with an incinerator is "for their good."
Citizens of Zeta gathered today in front of the Capital City building in Podgorica to present the city authorities with the decision of the Zeta Municipal Assembly, which was adopted yesterday and prohibits the construction of a wastewater treatment plant in Botun.
The decision of the Zeta Municipal Assembly to ban the construction of a wastewater treatment plant in Botun was adopted yesterday at a session of the local parliament. The majority of councilors voted in favor of the decision, while the Democratic Party councilors abstained. The DPS councilors did not attend the session.
Video: Jelena Kočanović
With this decision, the local government in Zeta formally expressed its opposition to the implementation of the project in the territory of that municipality, citing the results of a previously held referendum, in which the citizens of Zeta overwhelmingly voted against the construction of the plant in Botun.
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Representatives of the Municipality of Zeta previously stated that they believe that the Capital City and the state cannot implement projects of importance to Podgorica without the consent of the local community on whose territory the facility is planned, and that, if their views are ignored, they will use available legal means.
Podgorica Mayor Saša Mujović told TV Vijesti yesterday that decisions of the local community cannot be binding on the Government and the Capital.
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