Prime Minister Milojko Spajić will sign an agreement with the Government of the United Arab Emirates on Friday, which includes economic cooperation in the fields of tourism and real estate development.
This was stated by State Secretary at the Ministry of Spatial Planning Majda Adžović in the show Načisto on Television Vijesti.
She denies that the agreement is aimed at leasing Velika Plaza, but rather that it depends on an agreement with the local community, as other municipalities are also interested in the projects.
The President of the Municipality of Ulcinj, Genci Nimanbegu, says they are humiliated and treated as locals, not equal partners.
"This project is not being entered into in a way where someone behind closed doors made a decision and handed it over to the Ulcinj municipality and said, 'Research it,'" said Adžović.
When asked about Nimanbegu's statement that he entered the Prime Minister's office and found investor Mohamad Alabar there, and that he was almost taken aback, Adžović said that this was incorrect.
"Incorrect, we were at that meeting together. At that meeting, it was emphasized that the prime minister is not a spokesperson for investors and that the investor himself should hear what the concerns are," said Adžović.
Speaking about the project sketch that was shown, which refers to construction on Velika Plaza, she said that it represents "a rough vision of what it would look like."
"It was done by Alabara and his team at the request of the Municipality of Ulcinj because they insisted on having a vision of what they wanted to do with this space," said Adžović.
Nimanbegu said the local government learned about Alabar because of the beach lease.
"The speed with which all this activity is happening gives me the impression that this has been planned for a long, long time. That this is not a story from 15, 20 days ago. That it is happening at such a speed that we, as a local government and the public, have to convince and guarantee that we are in favor of investments. We absolutely want an investor. We did not know that Alabar was interested in Velika Plaža, we found out about it from the Prime Minister in the cabinet. We had a meeting where the Prime Minister said that he did not know Alabar and later told me that Alabar was the one who was interested and that he wanted to arrange a meeting with me and him as soon as tomorrow. I will not recount the details of the internal conversation. Spajić arranged the meeting on Friday, I did not know that Alabar would be there. I wanted to know what was planned for the area where we live. Spajić arranged a meeting on Friday with Alabar and then I wanted to find out from them what was planned and what they wanted. So I asked Alabar what you wanted. He replied that you would delegate or give advice," said Nimanbegu.
When asked whether Spajić is a representative of the state or a foreign investor, he replied:
"I want to continue to believe that Prime Minister Spajić knows his role and I don't want to remind him," he told Nimanbegu.
Asked why there is no international competition for the location of Velika Plaza, Adžović said "who says there isn't one".
"I think the entire process as far as the government is concerned is extremely inclusive."
She also said whether "you think when Porto started to be built, when Luštica started to be built, that everything was in accordance with the planning documentation that was in force at that time"
Nimanbegu said that the Ulcinj Spatial and Urban Plan, which was adopted in 2017, "was a battle."
"It took eight years to get it adopted and we adopted it. It is a valid document and with this document it is being split and disappears. This idea is contrary to the Ulcinj Urban Development Plan and the plan of Montenegro. This large-scale acquisition of the beach, land, 20 million square meters, is intended to be leased for 99 years. I don't know how anyone came up with the idea without public discussion, the involvement of local government, the professional public... We are humiliated in this way. Not humiliated, but they simply treated us like locals. New conclusions will be made (at the Ulcinj Municipal Assembly session) and we have established a proposal for those conclusions," said the Mayor of Ulcinj.
DON'T MISS IT
When asked why planning documentation was not developed, what was the vision for development, and then an international competition was announced and it was said 'investors from all countries, please apply', but instead the investor was either brought in or went to the investor, Adžović said:
"I will return to the planning documentation, the preparation of which is underway. Of the four modules for Velika Plaza, two are in the plan proposal... It is not true that there is no vision or development vision..."
She said that it was incorrect that the plan was being developed in Belgrade.
"Incorrect. Belgrade on the water will not happen to Ulcinj," claims Adžović.
Speaking about the 30 billion euros of investment, she said that this is a framework investment for the vision that has been presented.
"Those 30 billion investments cover the entire project, for the entire period. If the project is 20 million square meters," said Adžović.
Nimanbegu reiterated that they are not against investments.
"A 99-year lease has been agreed upon, and who is this man who gives himself the right to give something that is common to someone for 100 years? This approach is pure discrimination against all other citizens of Montenegro who have to go through all the planning procedures and wait for years for something to come true for them, and that is why this entire 15-day process is non-transparent and non-inclusive," said Nimanbegu.
The author of the show said that Article 9.6 of the Economic Cooperation Agreement states that "this agreement shall cease to be valid on the date of Montenegro's accession to the European Union, provided that the application of paragraph 9.5 of this agreement is taken into account." Asked if Montenegro will join the EU in 2028, what that means for the announced projects if they are not implemented by 2028, and whether it is an announcement of giving up on the EU, Adžović replied:
"Regarding the duration of the Framework Agreement on Economic Cooperation, which is also the framework for cooperation with any country, point 9.5, it is based on the Stabilization and Association Agreement, as well as international obligations... As for the Framework Agreement, the moment we enter the EU, it ceases to be valid. All agreements and contracts that have been initiated will be implemented. In no way has Montenegro been brought to the EU."
Nimanbegu said that there is a violation in that agreement "because the state will provide land outside of legal procedures."
"It is committed to that. And that is disputed in this agreement. The Emirates will ask the entity to do a financial feasibility study, they will do it to suit them. The last census showed that the municipality of Ulcinj has 6.000 families and 25.000 buildings. We don't even know what this amount of construction will mean, because the plan will be adopted at the request of the entity. In order to invest 30 billion, what is the area," said Nimanbegu.
Adžović said that it was announced that if this project is entered into, it will be built in the spirit of the Mediterranean, that there will be no residential apartments, and that there will be no construction of four or five floors.
"The position that was expressed somewhere and we now see in the form of the conclusions of the Ulcinj Municipal Council is that the project as it was presented is unacceptable. In my personal belief, this is an opportunity that Montenegro should not miss. This is an investment and an investor that Montenegro should not miss. If there is no interest from the Municipality of Ulcinj, then other municipalities should be given a chance and this is an opportunity that Montenegro should not miss," she said.
Nimanbegu replied that his inquiry was about what the plans were and that investors were welcome, and that he had been trying the entire time, without prejudice or opinions, to know what the wishes were and what was wanted.
"I informed political figures in Ulcinj about the meeting, but a media campaign organized through Pobjeda was launched, primarily to create an atmosphere of take it now or leave it and that we are to blame if Montenegro collapses. In a way, I was brought before a fait accompli. And Adžović says 'you are against'. We are against the megaproject and we are not given the chance to present our projects."
Nimanbegu said that as the president of a minority community and a small municipality, he is seeking help from the professional community to consider this carefully.
"This is how the media started, how the Ministry of Spatial Planning is - it's not transparent if something like this is adopted at a WhatsApp meeting," he said.
Adžović was asked if they had an alternative if the project did not pass the Ulcinj municipality and if they had another move they were offering to the Arabs that they were interested in, and she said that they had been held. meetings with representatives of coastal municipalities who were asked to propose projects in their municipalities.
When asked what was interesting to Arabs, she replied "we'll know on Friday."
"For the simple reason that some proposals have already arrived. It was also said not only in the context of tourism because some municipalities do not have the capacity to offer such projects. The agreement contains a number of areas of cooperation, so the President of the Municipality of Bar, regarding the Port of Bar, proposed that cooperation with the Emirates be considered. There is no shortage of ideas because there are a lot of areas. Thus, for the north of Montenegro, the municipalities of Plav and Rožaje have submitted certain projects in the field of agriculture."
Nimanbegu said that his goal was to make all of this public, because the beach is a public good and because a common destiny is a public good.
"And that's why I insisted that the process be more transparent, clearer. This is not even in the interest of Montenegro. We need to see what impact it will have on the environment, the living environment, the population, demography, culture, tradition. We need to sit down and consider this in a public debate," Nimanbegu said.
Note: The first version of the headline said that Adžović said that "The agreement is aimed at leasing Velika Plaza", and it should have read "The agreement is not aimed at leasing Velika Plaza", which is what the text said. I apologize to Adžović and the readers for the unintentional mistake.
Bonus video:
